AN
OPEN LETTER TO THE RASHTRAPATI H.E. SHRI PRANAB MUKHERJEE
REGARDING VETERANS’ AGITATION AND OROP
Hon’ble
Rashtrapati Ji,
1. It is with a sense of deep anguish that we
are writing to draw the attention of the Supreme Commander to the dismal spectacle
of our Veteran soldiers, driven to undertake public protests and demonstrations
to press their demand for the - long overdue - grant of ‘one-rank, one-pension’
or OROP. The campaign, which has included rallies, marches and relay hunger
strikes, at Jantar Mantar as well as other locations country-wide, is about to
enter its second month but the government seems to have taken no notice.
2. We presume that you must have received
adequate briefings on all aspects related to the issue of OROP and will not
belabour it any further. However, we wish to focus attention on some issues
that have grave implications for National Security, and merit your attention,
not only as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces but also as the First
Citizen of India.
3. As you are aware, the Oath of Allegiance
sworn by every soldier, sailor and airman ends with these words: "I will obey all commands of
the President of India .....even to the peril of my life." We are confident that as a small measure
of reciprocity, the President of India would consider sparing a few moments of
his time for those who have served their nation loyally and are now in the
twilight years of their lives.
4. Firstly, denial of OROP is
merely the last straw that has exhausted the Veterans’ patience. It appears to
be the culmination of a process by which successive Pay Commissions have been
used to whittle down the financial and protocol status of the military over the
years vis-Ã -vis their civilian counterparts. Since no rationale has ever been
offered for this steady decline in status of the military, the obvious
conclusion is that it has been orchestrated to prove that the key to 'civilian
control' of the military lies in bringing it on par with the police and
paramilitary forces, and making it subservient to the bureaucracy.
5. The hostile approach of MoD bureaucracy was
earlier demonstrated, in 2007-08, when the 6th Pay Commission
anomalies were required to be resolved. Their insensitive and antagonistic
handling of problems related to pensions and allowances of aging veterans, war
widows and battle-casualties led many to approach the courts. This not only
created a deep civil-military divide but eventually forced a disciplined
and politically-neutral segment of society into the jaws of party-politics.
6. Secondly,
there does not seem to be adequate realization that this development has the
potential for inflicting long-term damage to India’s proud and a-political
military ethos. No one in the political or bureaucratic establishments
seems to have recognized that Veterans retain a strong umbilical connection with serving personnel because
the two constitute one extended family. Whatever happens at Jantar Mantar is
known to the men in uniform instantly, through print,
electronic and social media. Of equal importance is the fact that anything
which denigrates or humiliates the veteran also hurts the self-esteem of the
serving soldier - because he sees himself as tomorrow's veteran. Thus, the
recent developments have not only triggered a process of politicization of the Indian
military, but also served to inflict grave damage on its morale and
self-esteem.
7. Thirdly, having
agreed to the principle of OROP, successive governments have reneged or
prevaricated when it came to its actual implementation. However, since no
administration has deemed it appropriate to convey the actual reason for the
interminable delays, there is a growing feeling in the rank and file that the
senior armed forces leadership has not done enough to pursue their cause. An
erosion of confidence such as this could inflict severe damage on the officer-jawan
relationship. This is a sacred trust, built on a 350-year old
tradition, which we will find very difficult to rebuild.
8. The three factors listed above, have the
potential to cause immense damage to India’s military edifice and hence, to our
National Security. Soldiers, like flags and anthems, are emblematic of a nation’s pride
and honor. The very fact that the nation’s military Veterans have had to take
resort to agitational methods and that the government could tolerate their
denigration or humiliation has come as a rude shock to all of us. This has also led to the erosion/lowering of
our image in the international arena.
9. The
unprecedented country-wide Veteran’s movement has, thus far, remained in
accordance with the armed forces tradition - peaceful, disciplined and
dignified. However, after two months of neglect by the government, intemperate
and irresponsible voices are, increasingly, being heard, urging actions that
would be entirely inappropriate and damaging to the Indian military ethos.
10. In the daunting security scenario that
prevails, our powerful military is expected to be at the peak of
combat-readiness, with high morale and
motivation, ready to react swiftly to orders of the political
leadership to meet every national crisis. However, such a response may not be
readily forthcoming from a military which suffers low self-esteem because its
respected Veterans are seen to be ignored and humiliated by their own ‘sarkar’. Much of this can be attributed to a lack of ‘political will’.
11. In view of the foregoing, we are of the view
that urgent intervention of the Supreme Commander has now become inescapable in
the larger national interest, and to ensure that the idea of ‘India First’ is
not lost sight of. Given the evolving
situation, there is every possibility of the situation getting out of hand.
12. This appeal seeks
your directives to the Government of India in order to implement two urgent
decisions:
(a) An invitation to the agitating Veteran’s
associations to send representatives for discussions on the impediments facing
implementation of OROP, and to work out mutually acceptable possible ways out
of the present impasse.
(b) Subsequent to the above, a call to the
Veterans for discontinuation of their
Country-wide agitation.
Sd/= Sd/= Sd/=
(SF
Rodrigues) (L Ramdas) (Arun
Prakash)
General
(Retired) Admiral (Retired) Admiral (Retired)
Sd/=
(Sureesh
Mehta)
Admiral
(Retired)
