Ashwatthama Hata:ha Iti, Narova Kunjarova
OROP is solemn promises made to soldiers of the nation. It is no more a question of money. It has become a matter of prestiege & honor for them. It hurts to be misled and taken for a ride. Unfortunately, BJP has failed to appreciate the sensitivities of the soldiers. The masive mandate given by veterans & masses have made them arrogant. How else can one interpret the advice given by Defence Minister Jaitley to ex-servicemen to lower their expectations? Would he have dared to say so before the elections? Modi promised OROP and not sham-OROP.
OROP is solemn promises made to soldiers of the nation. It is no more a question of money. It has become a matter of prestiege & honor for them. It hurts to be misled and taken for a ride. Unfortunately, BJP has failed to appreciate the sensitivities of the soldiers. The masive mandate given by veterans & masses have made them arrogant. How else can one interpret the advice given by Defence Minister Jaitley to ex-servicemen to lower their expectations? Would he have dared to say so before the elections? Modi promised OROP and not sham-OROP.
National interests are supreme to
soldiers. It would have been far better
for the government to state that – “We accept the established definition of
OROP but are tight on finances at present. We will implement it for JCOs
and OR immediately with the available resources. Give us some time to
implement it for the officers.” Most soldiers would have accepted such a
suggestion. It is again proved that grace and compassion are not the qualities that generally associates with the politicians.
It is better to be late than never to watch the writing on the wall.The results
of three bye-elections in Uttarakhand are out and BJP has
been trounced, with Congress bagging all the three seats. It has taken
less than 60 days for Modi euphoria to disappear. A buoyed and
rejuvenated Congress must be thanking BJP for its failure to deliver.
Inapt handling of the issue of OROP is symptomatic of the poor
performance. The NDA
government had succumbed to the pressure of the bureaucrats after
the budget speech of 10 July,and it became apparent with the diluted
the concept of OROP. It was a breach of faith to almost all soldiers, both serving and retired, – A promise broken and a Great Betrayal.
According
to the reports, all soldiers and their families voted for Congress in
the recent bye-polls in Uttarakhand. BJP and Modi should see the writing
on the wall. They must realise that they are shooting in their own foot
by losing the backing of the solid support base of soldiers and
ex-servicemen. Time is fast running out. Elections to Haryana, and may
be Delhi, are due shortly. One will not be surprised if BJP loses in all
assembly segments of Ghaziabad which elected General VK Singh with over
5.67 lakh votes. Disillusionment with BJP is spreading rapidly amongst
the soldiers and the veterans. 
