One Rank One Pension was one demand that was bedeviling the ex-servicemen. I recollect that this demand was simmering for many decades and despite all efforts of the Ex Servicemen Organization the demand was nowhere near consummation. One of the major reasons for this state of affairs was the complete failure of the general staff to convince the governments in any way on the need for this demand to be met.
The Ex-servicemen agitated and many distinguished soldiers returned their medals , but the government was unbowed. It made some window dressings but the core demand was never accepted. This demand is legitimate , yet successive Chiefs of Staff had a zero influence on the government and the demand continued to fester. There were agitations and meetings and rallies, but the government knowing the weakness of the Chiefs of Staff of the 3 services just ignored the demand of OROP. The bigger blame goes to the COAS, the army chief who while heading the largest armed force in the country was reduced to a cipher. Considering the army was literally safeguarding the unity of India the failure of the COAS to have any influence or his inability to assert is baffling. One can conclude that the Chiefs never pressed their point home with any force.
The UPA government was in power for 10 years and despite umpteen representations the demand of OROP was ignored. The arrival of Narendra Modi on the scene changed all that. Here was a man who believed in following up what he promised. He started his election campaign with a rally in Haryana of ex servicemen and he promised OROP.
With the BJP in power, it was expected that the demand would be approved. But the most influential ministers in the cabinet the finance minister and the defense minister were not convinced about OROP as demanded by ex servicemen. I will remind readers of two statements of these 2 worthies.
a) The finance Minister , Mr Arun Jaitley in a chat with the ex servicemen's reps asked them to 'tone down' their demand.
b) The RM Mr Panicker talked of 80% satisfaction and said that in life nobody gets 100% satisfaction.
There were also insidious leaks from the MOD against OROP to test the reactions. At this critical juncture General Satbir Singh and his group of the Ex Servicemen's association did yeoman's service by repeatedly reminding the BJP government of its promise and as asking for approval of OROP.
The stage was set for another long agitation. I have no doubt that Narendra Modi who had in a soldiers rally had announced the approval of OROP cracked the whip. He is the man who disciplined the 2 ministers and soon the ball for OROP began to roll. Credit must historically go to Narendra Modi. But for him the OROP would never have come.
We are told the tables are with the finance ministry, but there is an air of secrecy about them and we will have to wait and see what emerges. The COAS was again ineffective as he could not prevail on the MOD to even have a single officer in the deliberations of the tables. I must again express the gratitude of all soldiers to general Satbir Singh. His is a name that will be remembered for long , but for him the pressure on Modi to get the ball rolling would not have occurred.
The Ex-servicemen agitated and many distinguished soldiers returned their medals , but the government was unbowed. It made some window dressings but the core demand was never accepted. This demand is legitimate , yet successive Chiefs of Staff had a zero influence on the government and the demand continued to fester. There were agitations and meetings and rallies, but the government knowing the weakness of the Chiefs of Staff of the 3 services just ignored the demand of OROP. The bigger blame goes to the COAS, the army chief who while heading the largest armed force in the country was reduced to a cipher. Considering the army was literally safeguarding the unity of India the failure of the COAS to have any influence or his inability to assert is baffling. One can conclude that the Chiefs never pressed their point home with any force.
The UPA government was in power for 10 years and despite umpteen representations the demand of OROP was ignored. The arrival of Narendra Modi on the scene changed all that. Here was a man who believed in following up what he promised. He started his election campaign with a rally in Haryana of ex servicemen and he promised OROP.
With the BJP in power, it was expected that the demand would be approved. But the most influential ministers in the cabinet the finance minister and the defense minister were not convinced about OROP as demanded by ex servicemen. I will remind readers of two statements of these 2 worthies.
a) The finance Minister , Mr Arun Jaitley in a chat with the ex servicemen's reps asked them to 'tone down' their demand.
b) The RM Mr Panicker talked of 80% satisfaction and said that in life nobody gets 100% satisfaction.
There were also insidious leaks from the MOD against OROP to test the reactions. At this critical juncture General Satbir Singh and his group of the Ex Servicemen's association did yeoman's service by repeatedly reminding the BJP government of its promise and as asking for approval of OROP.
The stage was set for another long agitation. I have no doubt that Narendra Modi who had in a soldiers rally had announced the approval of OROP cracked the whip. He is the man who disciplined the 2 ministers and soon the ball for OROP began to roll. Credit must historically go to Narendra Modi. But for him the OROP would never have come.
We are told the tables are with the finance ministry, but there is an air of secrecy about them and we will have to wait and see what emerges. The COAS was again ineffective as he could not prevail on the MOD to even have a single officer in the deliberations of the tables. I must again express the gratitude of all soldiers to general Satbir Singh. His is a name that will be remembered for long , but for him the pressure on Modi to get the ball rolling would not have occurred.
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