New Delhi [India], Nov. 3 : Congress Member of Parliament and former union law minister Ashwani Kumar on Thursday slammed the Modi government post the suicide of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal allegedly over the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme, saying it was the right of the opposition parties to tell the government what kind of 'insensitivity' it was showing towards those who sacrifice their lives for the nation.
Speaking to ANI, Kumar said "It's an unfortunate and painful. Isn't it the right of the opposition to tell the government that what kind of insensitivity is this that those who suffer, fight and get martyred for the nation have been for so many years been deprived of OROP." "Let me remind this government that it was the UPA regime when AK Antony was the defence minister who had cleared this decision and it has taken so long for this government to make sure that the benefits of OROP are given to the soldiers.
Driving an old retired soldier to commit suicide for a paltry sum of Rs. 5,000, if this is not a case of agitation then there can be no case for agitation in this country," he added.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was detained twice on Wednesday and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal found his movement restricted by police when they tried to meet Grewal's family.
Twelve of Grewal's family members themselves were detained by police. Grewal's kin claimed the cops beat them up when they emerged from RML Hospital. Other Congress and AAP functionaries, including Randeep Surjewala, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kumari Selja and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were also detained.
The Delhi Chief Minister was in detention at RK Puram Police Station for about 4 hours, before being released close to midnight on Wednesday.
Chiming in the political storm that has erupted over the suicide of the ex-serviceman, who took his own life over the delay in implementation of the OROP scheme, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday expressed shock at the detention of her Delhi counterpart, saying it was "unprecedented and unacceptable".
Grewal had allegedly consumed poison on Tuesday. However, the cause behind his suicide is yet to be ascertained. The 69-year-old former jawan was protesting over the OROP issue at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi when he committed suicide.
Source: ANI
