Dear Colleagues,
A mixed force from Bawal and Gurgaon is operating the Jantar Mantar venue.
Media Report on OROP
The Pioneer has a news item Feb 16 titled, ‘One-rank-one-pension demand gets BJP support’ Click Here. It says the BJP “assured it would consider the issue seriously and include it in the NDA manifesto”. It is a positive development. However, we have been short-changed so many times that cynicism is inevitable. Noting that the Congress too had said something similar in their manifesto, “The long-pending issue of one-rank, one-pension will once again be re-examined and the satisfactory solution arrived at expeditiously”, one cannot avoid an uneasy déjà vu. It may be worthwhile having a meeting with Shri LK Advani and/ or Rajnath Singh to see through the smoke. Efforts are afoot in this regard.
Correspondence
Over the weekend, I wrote to the following (Copies attached):
Medal Return
Now that we have made a commitment, large number of us must return the medals to the President on 21 Feb. This has been a very effective lens-catching action so far. We must keep the pressure on.
Election Code of Conduct
The Election Commission might impose the code of conduct as early as 24 Feb 2009.
Best regards,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan
Chairman IESM
Letter sent to Sardar Tarlochan Singh, MP
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd)
Chairman, IESM
IESM/OROP/Medals/2009 15 February 2009
Dear Sir,
I write this to express collective gratitude on behalf of the Indian Ex Servicemen for your espousal of our cause by raising the point in the Rajya Sabha. Our demand of ‘one rank one pension’ is a demand for equity and justice and not merely for more money. We are all responsible people, full of national fervour and patriotism. For a soldier his medals are his most prized possession. It was with great pain and anguish that we were literally pushed into returning our medals to the President. The action reflects our disenchantment with the Government reneging on the pledge made in the Congress election manifesto. We will request your continued support to our just and fair demand. It is sad that the government is not seeing the serious ramification their intransigence might have for the national defence.
With best regards,
Yours sincerely,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Letter sent to Shri Pranab Mukherjee
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd)
Chairman, IESM
IESM/OROP/Medals/2009
15 February 2009
Dear Sir,
The Ex Servicemen as a community are greatly enthused by your continuous sympathy and support to their cause in the past. Having headed all the important Ministries, no one is in a better position than you to understand the various issues at national level. I approach you with a request to seek your blessings once again. You may be aware that the Ex Servicemen have been demanding ‘one rank one pension’. This is an old demand resolution of which also found mention in the Congress manifesto during the 2005 Parliamentary elections. The demand is for justice and equity. Our only request is that all pensioners who have rendered equal service to the nation should get equal pension, irrespective of the year of their retirement. Lack of this provision hurts the defence employees the most since they start retiring at an early age of 35 years at a meager penson. The Sixth Pay Commission has created a grossly inequitous situaion with a pre 1996 Sepoy pensioner getting 82% lower pension than his post 1.1.2006 counterpart does. The disparity spreads across all ranks to the extent that senior rank pensioners who retired earlier are getting lower pension that juniors who retired after 1.1 2006.
We are very hopeful that you will get us justice.
With best regards,
Yours sincerely,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Shri Pranab Mukherjee
Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs
South Block
New Delhi
Letter sent to Rashtrapati Bhawan
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd)
Chairman, IESM,
IESM/OROP/Medals/2009
15 February 2009
Dear Sir,
Further to my letter of even number dated 26 January 2009.
In the absence of any response from the government to their pending demand of ‘one rank one pension’, more Ex Servicemen have now decided to surrender their medals to the President. In some Districts, these have already been handed over to the local Deputy Commissioners for onward despatch to Delhi. In other cases, these are being sent to us for handing over centrally by the Indian Ex Servicemen Movement. You are requested to have these received at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on 21 February at 1530 hours. The delegation carrying the medals would also like to meet the Hon’ble President and apprise her of their demand of ‘one rank one pension’, which had been pledged in the Congress election manifesto in the last Parliamentary elections, and the pledge is being reneged now. Do kindly intimate if it would be convenient to the Hon’ble President so that the delegation can be suitably composed. I had already sought an audience vide my letter dated 24 November 2008 (copy attached), which is pending.
With best regards,
Yours sincerely,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Dr Christy Fernandez
Secretary to the President
Rashtrapati Bhawan
New Delhi
Copy to:
Shri AK Antony
Hon’ble Defence Minister
South Block
New Delhi – 110 011
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