OROP agitation needs a midcourse correction

I am a pre-Sino-Indian war vintage infantry officer and have intently observed the entire OROP (One Rank One Pension) issue and agitation. The OROP demand, by the Indian Armed Forces Retirees (AFR) fondly called the veterans, from all angles, was more than justified. The inordinate delay in its acceptance, therefore, did give a reason to the AFR to feel vexed, restive and askance. OROP demand implies that an AFR, with same rank and same length of service, be entitled to same pension irrespective of the date of his/her retirement.This demand has a distant geography, long history, varied chemistry and wide ranging reaction from within the community of the Veterans as also from without. Geographically a somewhat similar call, known as Bonus Demand, was successfully made by the AFR after the First World War in the United States. In India OROP demand started with an anguish among the AFR subsequent to the recommendations of the Third Central Pay Commission (CPC) in 1973 when the pension of the AFR was reduced from 70% of the last pay drawn to 50%,while the pension of the civilian Government employees was increased from 30% to 50%. The timing of this drastic downward revision of the pension also added fuel to the fire. It was done shortly after the Indian Armed forces had achieved a decisive victory over the Pakistan army in erstwhile East Pakistan, capturing over 90,000 Pakistani Prisoners of War and creating a new nation, Bangladesh. EXPLAINED: One Rank One Pension  The inflationary impact of the successive CPC brought increasing financial difficulties to the AFR. Majority of the AFR, retiring in their late thirties and early forties, with growing family responsibilities, faced serious pecuniary constraints. Thus in early eighties the OROP demand, seen as a big hope for a better future, became a mass rallying point for the millions of AFR, AFR widows and War Widows. The beginning of the OROP movement with appeals, signature campaigns in blood and the heart-breaking return of the war and gallantry medals to the Supreme Commander of the armed forces, the President of India, was well in the right direction. But it was insensitively ignored. Fortunately the tide changed and in the run-up to 2014 Lok Sabha elections the OROP demand was earnestly taken cognizance of by the Prime ministerial candidate of the National Democratic Alliance(NDA) Naredndra Modi. He declared his support for the demand in a mammoth Ex-Service Men (ESM) rally at Rewari in Haryana. He promised to implement it if voted to power. Sadly, after Modi’s announcement, the issue was politicized by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), then in power, who allocated a paltry sum of Rs 500 Crores, in an attempt to garner the ESM votes. Shri Narendra Modi, after winning an absolute majority in the elections repeated his commitment to grant the OROP in his 2015 Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, under the National flag, viewed by 125 crore people of the nation. Still the OROP demand was turned, by some zealous veterans, into an acrimonious, defiant and confrontational agitation. Undoubtedly, in our Land of “JAI JAWAN”, the common man holds the Indian Armed Forces and the Veterans, in very high esteem. He imposes great faith and confidence in Indian Jawans’ gallantry, apolitical mind set and their will to sacrifice for the safety, security and welfare of the nation. He fully endorses the democratic right of the veterans to demand an optimum compensation and welfare measure from the state. But, he also expects that they maintain discipline, decorum, and a dignified frontier. He does not mind the Dharana and Bhookh Hartal of the striking groups of government servants and other union bound wage earners but he certainly feels uneasy if the Veterans engage in such agitation. It is in this context that the ongoing OROP agitation by the Ex Servicemen at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, merits an evaluation. As it stands today, many veterans feel that they should have gone about the OROP demand differently and earned the support and admiration of the society and the Government of the day by setting a new model of demand projection through meaningful social service.The management of OROP demand should have had a socially constructive line of approach. The AFR assembling for the demand being disciplined, educated, brave, bold, tough and hardworking should not have taken to the street. Under the bold banner of the OROP, the AFR could well have galvanized the Swachha Bharata Abhiyan started by the Prime Ministers in designated areas spread over weeks and fortnights. The AFR doctors, with OROP band around their arms, could have started medical checkup camps and other health programs. The AFR from the Armed Forces technical services, with bold OROP embossed Gandhi cap on head, but with due care that their mission did not end up in photo sessions for the print media and TV channels, could have rendered technical help to the administration by providing free quality service in mechanical, electrical, legal, postal, police and public transport and supply departments. OROP demanding veterans thus, spread far and wide, in large numbers in towns and cities of the country, over a period of time, would have, without exception, immortalized for themselves the good will and an everlasting gratitude of the nation. There is a strong feeling that the OROP movement has gone astray. The veterans have lost their halo of being a cut above citizen of the motherland. Let us not forget the path shown by the father of the Nation, who taught us the lesson of constructive movement. Though somewhat late, the convenors of the OROP agitation may,for the larger reputation of the veterans, like to think of a mid course correction and change the format of the residual OROP movement.