Kiren Rijiju accuses Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal of playing vote bank politics over OROP suicide issue

As suicide by an ex-servicemen allegedly over OROP triggered a political storm, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Arvind Kejriwal of indulging in vote bank politics, saying people are tired of their “dramas”.

In a series of tweets, Rijiju said the Narendra Modi government was committed to the cause of soldiers and honour of martyrs.

“Pls don’t compete to be better dramebaaz? Soldier’s issue is too serious. We live closely with soldiers. Do you know about soldier’s life?(sic)” Rijiju tweeted. The Minister of State for Home said people are “tired of vote bank political dramas and sympathy for terrorists”.

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“People are intelligent and matured. Those terrorists sympathisers and vote bank political opportunists will be severely punished by the people,” he said.

Rijiju also uploaded pictures of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul, saying the issue of ‘One Rank, One Pension’ was “created” during Indira’s rule and she had “removed” the OROP benefits but no one criticised her.

The Minister alleged Sonia did not take the initiative for resolving the OROP issue when the UPA was in power for 10 years while Rahul neither care about OROP nor did he speak about OROP when Congress was in power.

Referring to Kejriwal, Rijiju wrote “there is limit to vote bank drama. Despite release, Arvind Kejriwal refuses to leave police station (last night).”

ALSO READ: (OROP suicide row: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal demands apology from PM Modi for lying to soldiers)

Ram Kishan Grewal, 70, an ex-servicemen, along with some other ex-servicemen was in the process of submitting a memorandum to the Defence Ministry over the issue of OROP.  According to his friends, Grewal had been upset over the issue for some time.

Grewal had gone to Delhi with three of his friends from Bhiwani in the intervening night of October 31 and November 1.  On Tuesday evening, he allegedly consumed poisonous tablets leading to his death.

ALSO READ: (OROP suicide row: Rahul Gandhi enacting drama, should answer on 40-year OROP delay: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi)

The suicide by the army veteran over OROP snowballed into a huge political show with Rahul, Kejriwal and other opposition leaders attacking the Modi government on the issue while there was high drama after police detained and prevented them from entering a hospital yesterday.

The Congress Vice President was detained twice and was finally released last evening while restrictions were put on Kejriwal’s movements before he was briefly detained. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was kept in custody for close to 10 hours.