NEW DELHI: Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has conveyed the NDA Government’s “unequivocal commitment” to implement ‘One Rank One Pension’ (OROP) when a delegation of ex-servicemen, who have been on a strike for the last 19 days to press the demand, met him.
Not happy with Parrikar’s assurance, the agitating ex-servicemen said the question of ending the protest does not arise without a government announcement on implementing the long-pending demand.
“A six- member delegation of United Front of Ex-Servicemen (UFESM) had met the Defence Minister last night(Thursday). Parrikar conveyed unequivocal commitment of the party (BJP)and the government towards implementation of OROP,” said Col (retd) Anil Kaul, spokesman of the Front.
“The question of calling off the relay hunger strike does not arise unless a date for implementing it is announced and that too without dilution,” he added.
Kaul said the minister told the delegation that the file pertaining to OROP with various observations regarding resolutions of complexities had been received by him but he had not been able to study it.
Meanwhile, the relay hunger strike by the ex-servicemen at Jantar Mantar here completed 19 days on Friday. “We will wait for government’s decision on OROP till July 15 and then take our agitation for OROP to the next level in which local ex-servicemen organisations all over the country will resort to demonstrations and other peaceful ways of voicing their grievance,” said Major General (retd) Satbir Singh, one of the leaders of the protest.