Upset over the Prime Minister not announcing a date for the implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme, two war veterans who were on a relay hunger strike for the past 64 days are now on an indefinite fast unto death and say they won't relent until the government gives in to their demands.

New Delhi: Upset over the Prime Minister not announcing a date for the implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme, two war veterans who were on a relay hunger strike for the past 64 days are now on an indefinite fast unto death and say they won't relent until the government gives in to their demands.

“My entire family is standing with me. I am blessed to have their support. Even my granddaughter rang me up from United States yesterday and told me, ‘Nana (maternal grandfather)...we saw you on TV and we are proud of you.’” Colonel (retired) Pushpender Singh told Firstpost.

The veteran was commissioned into 3 Grenadiers and served in Sikkim along the China border, at the peak of terrorist activity in Punjab and then the international border in Jammu and Kashmir. Singh, who retired in October 1998, spent a major portion of his career in the army with the intelligence unit, which he said was tougher than fighting along the border.

“Our protest is not about money. It is the fight for our dignity. Look at the way the government is treating us. On 14 August, Delhi Police officials tried to evict us without serving any prior notice as if we, who always stood firm against enemies, are a security threat. It is really unfortunate for the nation that its veterans are forced to stage hunger strike to make the deaf hear,” he added.

Singh hails from Rohtak in Haryana and presently lives in Greater Noida. He receives a pension of Rs 55,000, which will go up to around Rs 65,000 once OROP is implemented. The former colonel wasn’t very receptive to the request made by former Chief of Army Staff General VP Malik, who has been appointed as a mediator on the issue, to call off the fast onto death.

“I am sorry, I cannot call off the strike until we get OROP as per its definition. Sacrificing for the nation is our duty, but at the same time having access to social justice is our constitutional right. Our fight is for 25 lakh ex-servicemen, 6.45 lakh widows of war heroes and 15 lakh serving servicemen. The government should immediately implement OROP. We want to tell Mr Prime Minister, ‘Enough of the promises, implement it now’,” Singh said.

Havaldar Major Singh, the second veteran on hunger strike is a resident of Jalandhar in Punjab and joined the army as a jawan in December 1975. After serving in various border areas, he retired as havaldar from 3 Sikh Light Infantry in September 1991.

“OROP is our right and we will take it at any cost. I will not relent until the government implements it. I will sacrifice my life to wake the government up. Except my mother, my death will not affect my family as I am unmarried. She will cry a bit but this life will cost the government dearer,” he said.

“I joined the Indian Army when I was in class 8 at the age of 16,” the veteran said. “I was so inspired by my uncle who was a serving officer in the Army that I ran away from home and went to Meerut to join armed forces. I used to carry food for soldiers at the border.”

Veterans who are part of the protest in Delhi are particularly incensed by the government’s delay in implementing the scheme.

“The advisors of the prime minister who have made up their mind that they won’t let it happen and the words of a former defence secretary that ‘OROP over my dead body’ cement our allegation. But we also want to state our resolve that we will take it at any cost. We are soldiers and we know how to deal with our enemies,” Wing Commander (retired) CK Sharma, who is the treasurer of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM), said. IESM is spearheading the agitation by the former defence personnel.

“OROP is not pay, it is rightful compensation for services already rendered,” he told Firstpost.

Other veterans who have come to Jantar Mantar to express their solidarity with the fasting ex-servicemen questioned whether the government wanted the armed forces to “maintain an edge” to make the nation strong.

“The Third Pay Commission changed and brought military salaries in line with civil services. It set us down the road to the current fight over OROP. The biggest argument against OROP (the notion that every pension eligible soldier who retires in a particular rank should get the same pension irrespective of when he retires) is: What happens if other uniformed services like BSF, CRPF, SSB and so on also demand the same right?” Wing Commander (retired) KS Parihar said.

“This is a facile question because unlike bureaucrats and paramilitary forces who all serve till 60 years of age, most military soldiers retire at the age of 35-37, while officers below brigadier or equivalent do so at 54. The nation retires soldiers early to keep the Army young and fit. They must be compensated adequately,” he said.

Parihar, a Shaurya Chakra awardee, said the Sixth Pay Commission has granted civil bureaucrats a sort of OROP by “backdoor” under a “non-functional upgrade (NFU)”.

“This is a sort of pay promotion allowing officers of All-India Group ‘A’ services to draw higher pay than their rank under certain conditions. Almost all civil servants benefit from this, while defence services officers do not,” he said.

According to him, serious disparities seem to have crept into other field allowances as well. For example, Army special forces soldiers get an extra amount to the tune of Rs 8,00 to Rs 1,200 per month as allowance, while Cobra comandoes of the paramilitary forces earn an extra Rs 7,200-11,000 per month.

“Compared to the bureaucracy, police and paramilitary forces, defence forces keep their career pyramid much steeper to ensure professional standards. Only 0.8% defence officers make it to the rank of major general after 28 years of service compared to a much higher rate of civil servants who are eligible to become joint secretaries (an equivalent rank) at 19 years of service,” he explained.

Parihar claimed other democracies keep their soldiers “better”.

“In salaries and special allowances, US soldiers have a 15-20 percent edge over other government employees, British 10 percent, Japanese 12-29 percent and French soldiers 15 percent. In pensions, while Indian soldiers get 50 percent of their last pay drawn, American soldiers get 50-75 percent, Australian 76.5 percent, Japanese 70 percent and French soldiers 75 percent. The United Kingdom has embraced OROP. Our two biggest strategic challenges – Pakistan and China – have always given priveleges to their military,” he said.

Major General Satbir Singh (retired), who is spearheading the IESM campaign, says the government does not want to adhere to the OROP definition, which was given by a Committee of Secretaries headed by the Cabinet Secretary and accepted by two successive governments and the Supreme Court, so that its implementation can be avoided on technical grounds.

“The Modi government has sanctioned money for OROP but it does not want to give it. Mind you, sanctioning and releasing the amount are two different things,” he alleged.

Asked about the technical problem behind the non-implementation, he said, “The only problem is the intention. If the prime minister, who is the executive head of the country, really wants, who has the courage to deny his order?”

“I am sure the government will implement it just before assembly elections in Bihar to gather political mileage. I warn the NDA government at the Centre that we will campaign against it and make it bite the dust in the upcoming polls in Bihar if it fails to implement OROP without waiting,” the veteran said.