Small issues in OROP will be dealt in future: Manohar Parrikar

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday said there might be a few small issues pertaining to implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, which over time will get automatically addressed.

“OROP as a principle has been accepted, full financial requirements have been fulfilled. There might be a few small issues which over a period of time will get automatically addressed,” he told reporters here.

Parrikar said the issue has more or less been resolved.

“According to me the issue is more or less resolved, have you ever seen that 100 per cent things are fulfilled to everyone’s satisfaction?,” Parrikar said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today made it clear that the armed forces jawans who have had to give up their jobs prematurely would be covered by OROP benefits announced by the government yesterday. Welcoming the statement the agitating ex-servicemen decided to call off their hunger strike but said would continue their protest till all the “sticky” issues are resolved.

Maj Gen (retd) Satbir Singh, leader of the association leading the agitation, said the protest will continue till four specific points raised by the ex-servicemen are not accepted by the government.

One of them was revision of pension every two years but the government has decided to revise pension every five years.

Meanwhile, Union Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said Congress has no moral right to criticise the Centre on the OROP issue.

“The people who have not done anything for the last 10 years have no moral right to criticise the government,” he told reporters here reacting to the allegation by Congress leader and former Defence Minister A K Antony that the Centre had “substantially diluted” the UPA’s OROP scheme as well doing politics over it.

Naidu said the the former Defence Minister had not done anything on implementing OROP except making an announcement during election.

“A K Anthony, you were the Defence Minister. You haven’t done anything, except making an announcement during election,” he said.

Naidu also flayed the Congress for not “understanding” the seriousness of the OROP issue when they proposed Rs 500 crore for the scheme compared to Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 crore proposed by Narendra Modi government.

“The UPA government did not understand the seriousness of the issue as they proposed Rs 500 crore for the scheme. But when the NDA government sat down for resolving it, we found the issue required Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 core to implement it,” he said.

The government will also pay all the arrears to the jawans in four instalments and widows of slain soldiers will be paid in one, Naidu said.

Naidu also appealed to the agitating ex-servicemen, who later in the day called off the hunger strike, to hold talks with the government to resolve few remaining glitches in the OROP scheme.

“There may still be some problems. We appeal to the veterans to sit with the government and sort out the issue. The government is open-minded,” he added.

Naidu also urged opposition, mainly Congress, to allow to function the extended session of the Parliament to pass the GST Bill.

“The opposition, mainly the Congress should allow the extended Parliament session and cooperate with the government to pass the Goods and Services Tax Bill. After all, it is their proposal. They have the right to oppose it, but not allowing the House to function is not fair,” Naidu said.

Naidu said Congress might be thinking that they were hurting Modi by stalling the Parliament. But they were hurting the country’s interests in larger perspective.

“They (Congress) are thinking that they are hurting Modi. But they are hurting country’s interests,” he said.

Reacting to Congress’ allegations that Modi and his cabinet colleagues were unconstitutionally taking part in the deliberations with RSS, Naidu said, “can anybody say child going to mother unconstitutional? RSS is mother to many Swayamsevaks,” he said.

Naidu said RSS would not interfere in the political affairs of BJP and the Centre would go by the BJP manifesto and will be guided by NDA’s common minimum programme.

On the controversy surrounding rechristening of Aurangzeb Road in Delhi to Abdul Kalam Road, Naidu said the Central government is nowhere in picture on the issue as it was the decision of the New Delhi Municipal Council and was approved by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

“This (renaming) was decided by the NMDC unanimously, and it was agreed upon by Chief Minister of Delhi. Centre is nowhere in he picture – that’s the end of the matter,” he said.

“The road is being rechristened in the name of the great son of the great country – (late) Dr Abdul Kalam. Nobody should have any objection. There has been overwhelming public opinion in favour of Abdul Kalam’s name,” Naidu said.