Not the last word on OROP: Execution gets green signal, but protest is far from over

In the 16th month of its 60-month tenure, the Narendra Modi government has finally come up with a concrete roadmap for implementing the vexed issue of One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme that had been hanging fire for last over four decades. But the straws in the wind suggest that the agitation launched by ex servicemen and veterans on 15 June, may continue and may well be intensified. This is a pity. The agitators have pushed the envelope and forced the government to make key concessions. But they cannot take a maximalist position and continue with their agitation. True, many of their demands which have not been met by the government may be reasonable and genuine but they should not be hectoring. The agitators will be well advised to accept what the government solemnly agreed to and refrain from taking an all or nothing approach. [caption id=“attachment_2422638” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] PTI image.[/caption] However, this is something that seems to be drastically different from ground realities. I spoke to Alfred Christie, a 76-year old ex-Indian Air Force veteran who fought three wars (1962, 1965 and 1971). Like many others, Christie too watched Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s press conference live on TV. When he retired from the rank of Sergeant in 1978, he got a princely monthly pension of Rs 207 after 22 years of service, which shrank to Rs 167 after commutation. Today, his pension is Rs 17,000, while the Sergeant who retires from the Air Force today, after same length of service, gets Rs 22,000. Christie is miffed with Parrikar’s announcement. Here’s why. “Where is one rank, one pension? I am as clueless about it today after watching the honourable defence minister’s press conference as I have been all these years. The minister has cleverly saved the face of the Prime Minister who is keen to go into Bihar elections with the OROP trophy. Moreover, the government has shrewdly made the announcement rather hurriedly to beat the model code of conduct once the notification for Bihar elections is issued, expected anytime now.” He says the widely held perception is that the OROP, announced by the government on Saturday, will benefit war widows only and the minister’s OROP package is a hogwash. Christie is all for continuation of the agitation and has warned the government to be ready to face national level agitation from 12 September. Incidentally, it is vocal veterans like Christie who influence the tone and tenor and scale of the agitation. This gives a sneak preview of how the huge tribe of ex-servicemen are reacting to the government’s OROP announcement. Major General (Retd) Satbir Singh, leader of protesting ex-servicemen, has already given a firm indication of what lies in store for the Modi government by saying that since the government has accepted only one of their seven main demands, there was no option for the but to take forward their agitation. Sample two other main points made by him: “We don’t accept the decision not to give OROP benefits to those who have taken voluntary retirement. This is a big setback. 40% of retired defence officials get pension. Not including them in OROP is unjust to them. Whoever gets pension (even if premature retirement) should get OROP. Bureaucracy introduced this, this is not acceptable to us. We reject the one-member judicial commission announced by the defence minister. We asked for a 5-member commission under the defence minister comprising three ex-servicemen, one serving serviceman and one member." This is as clear as it can be. It means that the albatross around the Modi government’s neck is not going to loosen its grip just yet. It means that there is no closure for the four-decade-old OROP saga on the horizon. It means that 2.6 million retired servicemen and over six lakh war widows, who were to be immediate beneficiaries of the OROP scheme, will continue to lock horns with the government.