OROP row: Over 2,000 war veterans return medals, say government cheated them

New Delhi Over 2000 exservicemenprotesting against the governments diluted onepensiononerank scheme today returned their medals in Delhi Haryana andPunjab the organizations spearheading the movement claimedtoday as they hit back at Defence Minister Manohar Parrikarfor his unlike soldiers behaviour remark aimed at themColonel retd Anil Kaul spokesman of the protesters inDelhi said 2000 exservicemens medals were deposited at thedistrict collectors officeThe veterans had threatened to leave the medals on theroad if we didnt accept it Hence we accepted thoseDistrict Collector Sanjay Kumar told reportersIn Chandigarh Brigadier Kiran Krishan retd Convenerfor North Haryana of Indian ExServicemen Movement IESM aconstituent of United Front of ExServicemen that had led thenationwide protest for OROP at Jantar Mantar in Delhi saidthat more than 150 war veterans returned over 150 medals whichwere handed over to the Additional Deputy CommissionerPanchkulaKaul said exservicemen from Ambala Chandigarh MogaJalandhar and Gurdaspur returned their medals today whilethose from Mumbai Pune Vadodara and Bangalore will followsuitOur people from Mumbai Pune Vadodara and Bangalore willreturn their medals next By the way this is just thetrailer he addedKaul reacted sharply to Parrikars statement that thewar veterans protest against OROP notification is unlikethat of a soldier and said the Parrikars behaviour toodoesnt behove that of a Defence MinisterDismissing Parrikars remarks that the protesters werebeing misguided and that the OROP notification issued onSaturday has been his achievement the agitators shot backat the BJP leader asking him to learn English to know meaningsof the two words and asked him not to lie to his soldiersseeking their due rightsHe says our behaviour is unlike that of a soldier But wefeel Parrikars behaviour is unlike that of a DefenceMinister We have been seeking our due to rights for past 149days But government has found no time to listen to usHence we have been impelled to agitate Mr Parrikar Yournotification is not what we have been talking aboutTherefore we are returning medals Kaul saidThe retired military personnel have said that the government has betrayed them in the name of making changes in the OROP schemeOROP scheme was cleared by parliament Then why were the changes made in the scheme Why did they put conditions former Group Captain VK Gandhi general secretary of Indian ExServicemen Movement saidWe returned 20000 medals during 2009 2010 and 2011 But at that time the then government had said they were working on the OROP scheme But the present government is cheating us They reduced the scheme to One Rank Five Pension scheme Gandhi addedThe veterans have listed seven changes made by the government which include annual equalisation 201314 financial years as the base year for calculating pension and taking the highest pension scale of 2013 as the base for calculation and not the average as announced by the governmentThe new scheme also states that it will be reviewed once in five years and not annuallyGandhi said the veterans demanded reconsideration on the changes made by the government in implementation of the OROP schemeEarlier Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said exservicemen protesting against the OROP notification were misguidedHe said while everyone had a right to make a demand in a democracy not all demands can be fulfilled