OROP. - EX-CHIEFS WRITE TO PRESIDENT

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                                         OROP

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                                             TO
                           THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA



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We Demand #OROP

              - ONE RANK ONE PENSION  







       EX-CHIEFS WRITE TO PRESIDENT

 

 

 

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-à-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 6^th 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.             

  

                             

 

(SF Rodrigues) 

Gen

 (L Ramdas)  

Admiral

 

 

(Sureesh Mehta)

 

  Admiral