OROP Movement is not on Right Track

I have been receiving mails from the ESI about the  agitation. A relay hunger strike has commenced , but what is the result ? Not a single BJP  leader of any standing has appeared at the venue of the hunger strikers and worse the retired ex soldiers , now with the BJP like General VK Singh and Gen Khanduri have conspicuously avoided the venue.  It shows the BJP led by Modi is in no mood to approve OROP. This is the hard reality and despite sounding negative, I must state that this relay fast may achieve nothing.

In the email received by me, it is stated that the movement is apolitical and as such the former MOS Jitendra  Singh and Congress leader Captain Amrinder Singh who wanted to join the hunger strikers were turned away. Nothing could be more sillier than this. The need of the hour is to garner political support and talking that the movement is apolitical is all hogwash.  It was wrong to turn away the Congress leaders. I wonder if one goes by logic than Captain Amrinder Singh is a military veteran and had every right to be there.

Sometimes it appears to me that the leaders of the movement are just trying to ingratiate themselves with the ruling party and hope that their demand will be met. They feel that  BJP will accept the demand with a hunger strike. I am afraid this is fallacious thinking and hoping the Modi government will approve OROP  on this fast or  by these relay fasts and petition signed with blood is not likely. In fact nothing much has happened or will happen. The need of the hour is to build up Political support. Why even approaching the RSS  should be top priority.

Lastly I have stated a hundred times that till the army chief  puts pressure on the government OROP may never come in the classical sense. Who is talking go the COAS? I hope somebody is doing it. To my mind the approach of appealing to the Modi government is not going to lead anywhere. Lastly the army chief must act. In case he raises his hands and does nothing, then OROP may never see light of day. The movement must also garner political support and the RSS. There is no other way.

OROP won't come; BJP and Modi betray Services, what Next?

The First COAS. The devaluation started from hs time

I had written a few months back that OROP won't be sanctioned. There were some good men who held a contrary view. They were sure that Modi is a man of his word and the sanction was just around the corner, These simple and good men were taking what ever they were told as a gospel truth. Having spent time in the civil and corporate world, I knew it wouldn't happen for the simple reason that army top brass had frittered away their bargaining power. Secondly the leaders in the government like Arun Jaitley are small men with a limited horizon and they can't understand what morale is and also how important an armed force is for projection of a nation in world polity.

The net result is that now the demand is stymied at the highest source and that is Modi himself. Now there is nobody to who the ESM association can turn to except write pleading letters to Modi and party. This was expected by me, as politicians only act when put under pressure. Just see the banking unions have got a 15% pay hike and the services are shown two fingers.

The demand was put on the back burner by the previous Congress government for 10 years and its little consolation that Rahul is asking for sanction of OROP now. How sincere is he? In case a man like Modi can be change colours , will Rahul get the sanction if voted back.?

The fact is Modi and party know that the ESM association has no teeth. The army chief is a cipher and hence OROP won't come. There is a need for a proactive approach. Maybe Rahul is sincere and its best to join him. The COAS , who heads a force that holds India together must assert himself.  There is to be no begging for a right and small men like Jaitley must be shown their place. Onwards men, the future will always be brighter than the present.

Sadder still is a statement by the CNS ( Chief of naval Staff) that there is nothing to worry and OROP will definitely come. What does he mean? 3 decades have already elapsed and thousands of ex servicemen have gone to the next world. Does he mean let another few thousand die, so that liability is reduced and gives a handle to the civilian authorities that as too much time has elapsed it is administratively impossible to sanction OROP ? Just watch this will be a stumbling  bock and the BJP may take it as a lifeline to dilute OROP or delay it indefinately

It appears OROP or One Rank One Pension will not be Saunctioned as Yet

OROP is a demand that is hanging fire for over 3 decades. The ex servicemen have been waging a relentless campaign for it, but as it goes it is like the elusive holy grail, the cup from which Jesus had his last meal. Many have searched for it, but it was never found.
Finally after 3 decades it appeared that OROP would see the light of the day especially after a public address by the army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag to ex - servicemen at Rewari in Haryana on 14 March 15. The COAS announced its approval and imminent sanction by end April.
April has come and gone,and the elusive government letter not issued. In this connection one is reminded of the announcents of the RM Mr.Pannikar, who also announced that OROP will be a reality. The hope for final approval of this demand was kindled by the campaign of Narendra Modi, who repeatedly announced that OROP would be a reality.
I have earlier written that most ex servicemen are naive and take things at face value, while in reality wheels turn within wheels. The demand is nowhere near fulfilment and the stumbling block appears to be the Finance Minister Adun Jaitley.
I don't think Jaitley single hand is stalling this demand and maybe he has the tacit approval of Modi himself. The PM has withdrawn from the debate and is busy in foreign tours. Could he not find time to instruct Jaitley to press on with sanction of OROP as promised? I am afraid there are no clear answers and one thing is clear the BJP government is not keen at the present juncture to approve OROP. What I fail to understand is, how Modi and BJP made it part of their manifesto. Why did Modi start his election campaign with this promise to a rally in Haryana?
The BJP is no different from the Congress and I have a gut feeling that the FM is keen to put the demand on the back burner and put it as part of the reference to the 7th pay commission. Again if this happens, Modi is the man who would have approved it. So let's have no rosy ideas of this man. He is a hard boiled politician and can backtrack anytime.
What next? The soldier is a neglected man in India and the COAS a cipher. What do the ex soldiers do now? All I can hope is that Modi will realise the law of Dharma and act accordingly. Dharma is an amorphous concept but means truth, promise and equality. Is Modi up to it?

What Shape and Form will the OROP Take ? Serious issues are Involved

OROP is at last approved and all thanks to Mr Narendra Modi who has literally caught the bull by the horns. If not for him, OROP would never have seen the light of day. I have all praise for the Ex Servicemens Association Office bearers like  General Satbir Singh who fought so hard for the servicemen, particularly retired personnel.

lieutenant general TS Bahri is another man who must be congratulated for calling a spade a spade and fearlessly writing to the Defence Minster on matters concerning OROP.  The general in one of his letters had raised a pertinent point that officers from the service headquarters are not being incorporated in working out the tables and other matters for implementation of OROP. The general also spoke to the army chief on telephone.  As per information conveyed by General Bahri, the army Chief told him that he and other chiefs were seized of the matter and had been assured that there would be no dilution of OROP.

I am afraid I cannot play ball with such bland replies. The point at issue is why are the officers from the service Headquarters not being consulted about the tables being worked out by the MOD? How come the chief was content and satisfied with a simple assurance that justice in OROP will be done? After all the solution to a problem has different perceptions. How does the COAS feel that the perception of the civilians in the MOD is what is in the minds of military personnel. The general knows that a simple twist in wordings can wreak havoc in the final outcome. We saw this happen in the rank pay imbroglio  nearly 2 decades back. How is the COAS sure that such a ruse may not again be played on the soldiers? it is possible the MOD personnel are sincere, but the principle of ignoring the men in uniform is wrong.

I am afraid the general staff is unable to exert itself and that is very sad. The chief should not have been satisfied with mere assurances, but insisted that military personnel be incorporated in the preparation of the tables and other matter. It should not happen that the approval of Narendra Modi is circumnavigated by the MOD. One can't blame Modi for it, but our own Chiefs of staff of all the 3 services who are just looking for a escape route and say they are satisfied with assurances.  Its about time somebody put his foot down, but who will it be ? Not this present lot and earlier staff who just sat in the chairs and went away. To make a name in history one has to rise above the ordinary. I wonder when such a chief of army will emerge.

Non Approval OROP: Whose Fault It is?

Reports that are emanating from the government and the Ex-Servicemen’s Association clearly point to the fact that the ONE rank one pension in its classical concept will not be approved by the government. The demand which has been languishing for decades is nowhere near fulfillment. I have earlier also in my posts expressed the view that the government of Narendra Modi will not sanction OROP. The reasons are deep rooted in the history of the Indian armed forces and the type of leadership provided by the general staff. Successive army commanders, right from the time of General Cariappa have failed to impress on the government the need for a fair and equitable treatment for the army. One reason is the government from the days of Nehru has always viewed the armed forces suspiciously and feel it’s a foreign element and not a vehicle to project Indian dominance over the world. People like Nehru paid the price for this policy and had their reputation tattered. Yet, the present leadership led by Modi have not learn’t their lesson from history.

Another significant development is the failure of successive Army chiefs to bring any pressure on the government. This is hard to reconcile as the Armed forces over the years are literally holding the unity of India. As a stake holder in the Indian union surviving, the army should have been an indispensible part of the government plans. Unfortunately it is not and that must remain an enigma. The fact is the Army top brass has made no effort to bring any pressure on the government in this matter. Not, that it cannot be done. We have an example of general Thimmayya resigning when general Kaul was promoted Lieutenant General in 1955, when Nehru was prime minister and later General VK Singh went to court for rectification of his age. This in fact was a trivial matter, yet VK Singh went the whole hog as it was his personal ego. The army top brass could have used such tactics to get perks and privileges including OROP sanctioned. They never did, is another enigma. Perhaps they were not interested and left the battle to be fought by retired soldiers with little resources. The favorite ploy of blaming the civil

services is like flogging a dead horse. The civil services do the bidding of the government, in the present case Modi and party. It is Modi himself who has stalled the OROP, knowing perhaps that he will get away as the army has no teeth. It can hem and haw , but cannot bite. Nothing was won without a fight. I am afraid OROP in the classical concept will never come. Yes, it may but that will require a sea change in the thinking of the army commanders. Till that happens, its bye to OROP in its classical concept.