The ESI ( Ex-Servicemens Association) Decision to Call of Agitation will not Help

The cat is now out of the bag. The Modi government is not very keen to sanction OROP in its original classical form. I had stated this earlier also. What they would like is to sanction a watered down scheme, despite having announced that One rank One Pension is approved. The Ex-servicemen’s association was to commence an agitation from 3 Dec 2014. This is now postponed on the intercession of a Member of Parliament Mr. Chandrasheker. This MP has promised an audience with the finance and defense Ministers as well as Narendra Modi. How these meetings will help beats my imagination. Again some old fogies who have retired and lost the urge for a battle are going around saying that an agitation will hurt the ex-servicemen’s interest as the government will get annoyed.

Most of the above two lines of thought are so ludicrous that I could die laughing on a bed of nails. Firstly mark my words and that goes for the respected Chairman of the IES. The meetings being arranged by Mr. Chandrasheker with the RM and FM will lead no-where. Even the meeting with Modi will not bring about the desired result as I fail to understand the logic of a meeting with the very authority who approved OROP and then by a sleight of hand decided to sit on it. Secondly, I also do not see how the GOI will be annoyed in case the Ex-servicemen ask for a legitimate demand that has been approved by 2 parliaments. In case the GOI does get annoyed then it should be crystal clear that OROP in its classical form will NEVER be sanctioned. This is the sad truth. With RM and FM making statements that there is 'lack of clarity’ in the concept of OROP, I am afraid it shows that the Modi government has no honest intention to sanction OROP as understood by the rank and file. I do recollect that the FM (Mr. Jaitley) when he was the DM in a meeting asking the stake holders to "tone down" the demand of OROP.

Nothing was won without a fight and the ESI will be doing a grave injustice to thousands of retired personnel by playing into the hands of government representatives and postponing the agitation. I have stated earlier also that the until action is taken by the COAS, nothing will happen. If the only and strongest organized force in the country can't get a simple demand passed, then I wonder what is there in the future except to accept some watered down scheme by Modi. I am afraid his statement like OROP is "dear to his heart" etc. are just hollow statements.