Dear sir,
The way you have written gives an impression that you are the saviour of ORs and JCOs. No doubt, the protest by IESM in which I too took part for two days after a long travel from Bangalore, did help us to get the so called OROP. But it does not mean that you are for the welfare of ORs and JCOs. We know how royally we have been used by our own officers and cruelly cheated by them. You came in all TV debates and argued that forces need OROP bcoz they are made to retire at an young age of 32-35 years and with no assured second career outside, in order to keep the forces fighting fit and young, their pension was reduced from 70% to 50% in 1972 and so OROP is the only option for them to survive etc. But when OROP was announced, it is those old gentlemen who have served until superannuation and beyond and held the higher ranks were the most beneficiaries and got arrears in millions. We got peanut and that too rotten ones.
Sir, can you honestly tell me what was your age when you retired from Army and what was the difference in your monthly pension after implementation of OROP? I was only 33 when I got discharged after 15 years of service in IAF and you know what is the difference in my pension, a mere 600 rupees.
You are still fighting in the streets to get more pension for those old gentlemen who royally used and continue to use us left, right and centre. If you have a sense of justice and fairness still left in you, please ask the government to include the age of retirement as a factor for grant of Early Retirement Compensation Pension (ERCP) and not OROP, a term coined for the exclusive benefit of officers and that too who served longer and higher while the nation was told that we are fighting for the younger and the lower. It is high time that this bluff is called off. It is not the governments which have cheated us it is the officers like you, sir who shot us from the back.
If any conscience is still left in you and your team sir, stop this drama immediately and get back home. Please do not insult the 95% the veterans community by telling all lies and acting innocent. We are so meek and weak that some ORs and JCOs are still with you in this fight only because they do NOT WANT TO LOSE THOSE PEANUTS that the governments might throw at them at times. Please dont treat us as monkeys any more. If you are really interested in the pensionary benefits of younger soldiers , call me for a presentation. I will prove with data that how the ORs and JCOs have all been taken for a ride merely for the officers to get windfall benefits.
If you continue this fake fight for our pension benefit for a day more, even the Heaven will not forgive you.
Jai Jawan; Jai Hind!
Your sincerely,
Air Veteran M.Prabhakaran
Bangalore.