Will Narendra Modi Announce One Rank One Pension on 26 May ?

The demand for One Rank One Pension is festering for over 2 decades or maybe longer, but it gathered steam from 2008-09 when the servicemen felt that just plain talk was not having an effect. Many veterans returned their medals to the President , but the Congress government was not moved and just sat tight on the demand. To say the least this was a callous approach and showed that the Congress party( it has been in power since 1947) was not interested in the army and its ilk. Nehru had downgraded the army and paid a terrible price with his reputation in tatters.

One man cam on the scene and he was narendra Modi. He started his election campaign  with a speech to ex-servicemen in Rewari, where he promised that in case voted to power, he would sanction OROP. Even after he won, he still announced that OROP would be approved.

Now one year has elapsed and on 26 May the BJP government will have completed one year in Office. The demand for various reasons ,  not the least by opposition from the finance Minster Mr. Arun Jaitley has not been approved. Jaitley is typical small time politician who does not know what historical perspective is.

But there is hope and now after a relentless agitation by ex servicemen, the OROP may be on the anvil of approval. There is a chance that Modi on his return from China and Korea may approve this demand on the first anniversary of the BJP government. One can't be sure in Indian politics , but perhaps Modi is a cut above an ordinary mortal and may very well announce the success of OROP. One can just keep the fingers crossed as there is many a slip between the cup and the lip

Do the Army Chief's Word on OROP have any Sanctity?

The army chief in any country is an important man. One does not have to look far to understand this. In Pakistan  General Rahil Sharif can be seen sitting along with the Prime Minister in all important meetings and conferences and we all know the Pakistan army calls the shots.

A similar look at Burma and Thailand will show the army in the drivers seat. In SE Asia ,India must be the one singular country whose army chief has to eat his words all the time.

On 14 March 2015, the COAS, General Dilbagh Singh addressed an ex - servicemen at Rewari in Haryana. Nearly 18000 ex soldiers, including the father of the Army chief turned up. The general in his address announced that One Rank One Pension is approved and formal letter will be issued by end April this year. He also announced that their would be no dilution in the demand.  It was a great statement and coming as it did from the Indian army chief, one expected it to ring true.

But April has passed and we are in mid May and there is no sign of OROP. The question arises, do the words of an army chief have any sanctity in India? This is sad and shows that in India the Army chief is not very relevant. This is food for thought.

One is reminded of earlier generals right from Cariappa who just sat and twiddled their thumbs when all the devaluations of the armed forces were set in motion by Nehru and the Congress party. One Army Chief even accepted a written order signed by a Joint secretary.I am referring to general Thapar.

All this makes sad reading and I hope the present army chief will put his foot down , not on just OROP, but on a host of problems both political and social. The army chief must call the shots and its about time the political leaders were made aware of it.

Musings on OROP and the Ministry of Defense

Two facets of neighbours

Recently I read a letter written by Lt General SK Bahri, PVSM to the Raksha Mantri making a very relevant point, that the civilian officers of the MOD are not involving the service headquarters in the formulation of the tables in the implementation of the OROP. From the letter of the Lt General it appears that the experts in the defense services are not involved in the formulation of the tables and government implementation letter. I do believe in every word the general has written.

At the outset I must state here that General SK Bahri has done a great service to the military fraternity by writing on a very important point to the RM. All credit must also go to General Satbir Singh and his team  for fighting and representing to the government facts for the approval of OROP. But I must also say that this sanction for OROP would not have come if the PM, Narendra Modi had not given a fiat to the RM and FM to approve OROP. After all this demand was pending for 2 decades and many representations made to previous governments and nothing happened. If Modi had not intervened, there is every chance that OROP would not have come. Please read

http://wwwemge.blogspot.in/2015/03/one-rank-one-pension-is-at-last-reality.html

Where do we go from here? The one fact that is consistently highlighted is the complete irrelevance of the general Staff and COAS for the last 2 decades plus or shall I say 6 decades?. By a combination of circumstance coupled with lack of will power the general staff is unable to pressurize the government on any point. To always blame the ‘Babus’ is not correct.

 The fact is the top brass are like lost sheep in a valley. If the top brass had any say,  the MOD would not have had  the temerity to ignore the services in the formulation of the tables and the government of India letter. This makes sad reading and one wonders why in a country like India with a massive army such things happen. I have earlier also pointed out that even in a pacifist nation like Burma the army calls the shots.

I am a dreamer and hope that things will even out. Maybe at one stage a strong army chief will come who will fight for national interests, for it is in the national interest to look after men who have donned the uniform for the nation. More important there has to be an awareness that the Indian soldier is ‘our’ man. He is the pride of India and this has to be instilled in the hearts of the common Indian.

My father ( retired Group Captain) , my great uncle ( Army doctor during WW II) and me have put in over a 100 years in the service of the Indian armed forces, I hope I have the right to write these lines.