New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) The BJP on Wednesday accused Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of "indulging in politics over deaths".
The Bharatiya Janata Party's response came after the two leaders blamed the Modi government for the suicide by ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal over the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme.
"What Gandhi and Kejriwal are doing is nothing but politics over death. It seems they keep looking for doing politics wherever such deaths occur," BJP Secretary Shrikant Sharma said in a statement here.
He said while Grewal's suicide is unfortunate and their sympathies are with his family, politics over such death is also "unfortunate".
"As far as the OROP is concerned, the government has fulfilled its commitment and ex-servicemen are benefiting from it," Sharma said.
The BJP leader said: "Kejriwal is a leader who has solutions to all problems in the world, except for the ones in Delhi. His MLAs have been accused of all sorts of crime (raning) from rape to keeping forged certificates, but he has done nothing."
Criticising Gandhi for visiting the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to meet Grewal's grieving family, BJP spokesman Nalin Kohli said there is a time and place for everything.
Kohli asked how many times Gandhi had made similar visits in the past. He described Gandhi's action as "unfortunate".
The Delhi BJP also attacked the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and accused them of trying to politicise the ex-serviceman's suicide.
Grewal committed suicide on Tuesday evening over the alleged delay in proper implementation of the 'One Rank One Pension' scheme for the armed forces and ex-servicemen.
Defending Gandhi's hospital visit, Congress leader P.C. Chacko said it was his duty to meet the grieving family.
"Wherever there is a problem, he can go. It is his duty. He is doing it in all sincerity," Chacko said.
Delhi BJP unit chief Satish Upadhyay said: "We condemn the politics being done by the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party over Grewal's suicide".
The BJP leader said that the Narendra Modi government made serious effort to resolve the OROP issue.
Accusing the Congress of doing politics over Grewal's suicide, the BJP leader said: "The tears being shed by the Congress leaders are crocodile tears motivated by politics."
Lashing out at the AAP, Upadhyay said: "Kejriwal's statement that it is a moral duty of the Chief Minister and his deputy to meet the family members of the deceased ex-serviceman appears a political melodrama."
Accusing the AAP of indulging in vote-bank politics, the BJP leader said: "The conduct of the AAP in the matter is totally immoral and intended to influence the votes of ex-servicemen and their families in various states."
"Modi's government has seriously worked to solve it. If some anomalies still exist, patience needs to be maintained in view of the determination shown by the government in the matter," Upadhyay added.
