Ex Jawan suicide: Rahul Gandhi stopped at RML Hospital gate, denied meeting with family of ex-jawan
NEW DELHI : Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was stopped at the gates of a RML Hospital to prevent him from meeting the family of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Garehwal who allegedly committed suicide over the OROP issue.
Rahul Gandhi moved from one gate to another of the hospital only to be told that he will not be allowed inside the premises. An exasperated Rahul said, “What sort of country is being created (by Modi government)? For the first time in the history of India, we are not being allowed to meet the families of our soldiers.”
On being asked about the situation, Rahul said, “It’s a mentality, it is a particular type of mentality, it is an undemocratic type of mentality.”Later, Rahul said that he had found a solution. “I have found a solution, they (family members of ex-jawan) are coming out to meet me.”
However, the family members have been, reportedly, stopped from meeting Rahul.The Congress leader said, “They have been arrested, the family members of a martyr have been arrested.” He left the premises.
Earlier, Delhi’s Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and an Aam Aadmi Party lawmaker were today bundled into a bus by the police and taken away from the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital where they were meeting the family of a retired Army man who allegedly committed suicide yesterday, upset at his demands on the one-rank-one-pension scheme not being met.
The police action came after a minor scuffle at the hospital as Mr Sisodia and AAP lawmaker Commander Surinder Singh arrived at the hospital. The police said their presence was disturbing hospital work.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is expected to arrive at the hospital soon, tweeted, “Manish Sisodia detained? He had gone to meet family of deceased Ram Kishan ji. He is elected Dy CM. Whats wrong wid u Modiji? So insecure?”
Mr Kejriwal also attacked the Narendra Modi government in a video, accusing it of “lying” about the implementation of one-rank one-pension or OROP. “Both farmers and soldiers are committing suicide in Modi Raj. That means the Prime Minister is lying that OROP has been implemented. Why would Ram Kishan ji have committed suicide if OROP was being implemented?” Mr Kejriwal said.
Subedar Ram Kishen Grewal allegedly had poison on the lawns of a government building in the heart of Delhi on Tuesday afternoon. His family has said that he killed himself because he had still not received the increased pension promised to him by the government under the OROP scheme it implemented last year.
They want the government to fulfil the demands that Mr Grewal had made in a petition that he planned to hand over to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar later on Tuesday. Sources in Mr Parrikar’s office said they had received no request from the Army veteran for an appointment with the minister.
“Saddened by the death of Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal. I express my heartfelt condolences. I have asked for officials to provide me details,” Mr Parrikar said. One Rank One Pension, a longstanding demand of ex-servicemen, grants retired armed forces personnel pension parity with officers and jawans of the same rank who are retiring now.
