Congress leader Sachin Pilot addressing a press conference in Jaipur.(PTI Photo)
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has let down soldiers on the One Rank One
Pension issue, Congress leader Sachin Pilot said on Friday, referring
to Parrikar as BJP’s “return gift” to Goa.
“As far as One Rank One
Pension is concerned, this government has actually gone back on its
commitment. The honourable Prime Minister, then a PM candidate, had
assured to implement OROP in full.”
“Why are those people, army
officers and jawans still sitting at Jantar Mantar and protesting if all
demands were fulfilled,” Pilot told a press conference at the state
Congress headquarters in Panaji, adding that “there is actually a
betrayal of trust because a lot of ex-servicemen supported the BJP on
that issue”.
“A
lot of generals, army jawans, officers of the army, etc. have met Rahul
Gandhi and I was also present at that meeting and they feel absolutely
cheated. It is not becoming of a national leader to commit something
publicly and then not deliver on it. In the fallacy that they have sold
and Parrikar is party to it,” the Congress leader said.
Referring
to comments made by senior BJP leaders, who during the ongoing poll
campaign in Goa, had referred to Parrikar as a “gift” to the central
government, he said: “As far as him being a gift to government of India,
he is probably more like a return gift.”
“I think BJP should have
the courage to declare what they are really intending to do, as opposed
to play games with the people of Goa,” he said.
The BJP has
hinted that Parrikar, who was elevated to the Union cabinet in 2014, may
return to state politics after the February 4 polls.
