Congress asks Centre to apologise for not implementing OROP

The Congress on Thursday charged the Modi government for not implementing ‘one rank, one pension’ (OROP) scheme for ex-servicemen and war veterans, protesting at Jantar Mantar. The party said the BJP government should apologise to them.

While addressing a press conference, Congress spokespersons RPN Singh and Ajoy Kumar asserted the government had not left any place for peaceful protests in the national capital and it was “not acceptable” in a democracy.

“The government continues to trouble them even now, after removing them from Jantar Mantar,” Singh said.

In a statement later, the Congress leaders said, “The brutal crackdown on war veterans is an insult to India. The Modi government cannot digest the peaceful protests for OROP and Delhi Police has no powers to crackdown on war veterans, war widows and ex-servicemen.”

“The Modi government cannot silence the voices of war veterans on the pretext of ‘noise pollution’. It is high time, that the Modi government apologise to the war veterans for this misbehavior and provide them with full version of ‘one rank, one pension’,” the statement added.

Armed with an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banning protests and dharnas around the historic Jantar Mantar here, the police and civic officials had on October 30 demolished tents and makeshift structures set up by the protesting ex-servicemen. (With PTI Inputs)

The NGT, in its October 5 order, said protests and dharnas around the historic Jantar Mantar violated environmental laws.