New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) The Delhi BJP on Friday slammed the Congress and the AAP for playing "vote bank politics" over the death of an ex-serviceman who committed suicide earlier this week demanding immediate implementation of the OROP scheme.
Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay said: "It is surprising to see that the man who insulted the armed forces by demanding proof of surgical strike is today playing politics on an ex-serviceman's suicide eyeing the votes of large numbers of ex-servicemen in Punjab."
Hitting out at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Upadhyay said: "Will Kejriwal tell the people of the country what efforts he made to save the farmer Gajender Singh, who committed suicide in front of his eyes?"
"Will Kejriwal, who is today doing activism in the name of suicide by an ex-serviceman, tell the country how many families of Uri martyrs or other servicemen, who died in action, has he met to date?" he said.
Upadhyay maintained: "Does Kejriwal know that Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal was getting his pension regularly? There were some anomalies, like in case of other short service personnel, which a Union government-constituted committee is looking into," he said.
The BJP leader's remarks came after Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has betrayed soldiers and former servicemen by lying about implementation of the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme.
The Congress leader also sought a government apology for police manhandling the family of Subedar Grewal, who killed himself swallowing poison on Tuesday evening.
Upadhyay also reacted to Kejriwal saying that the army's morale is at an all-time low because of the poor treatment meted out to the family of a former soldier, who killed himself.
The AAP leader blamed both Delhi Police and BJP spokespersons for the present state of affairs.
Since Grewal's death, the AAP and the Congress have been attacking the Central government for not implementing the OROP scheme. Kejriwal, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi were detained by police when they tried to meet the grieving family of Grewal at a hospital here.
Slamming Rahul Gandhi, Upadhyay said: "Is it not true that Gandhi's grand mother Indira Gandhi, who took credit for the 1971 war, had in 1973 discontinued OROP, which was being given to ex-servicemen till then?"
Targetting the previous Congress governments at the Centre, Upadhyay asked, "Is it also not a fact that subsequent governments, whose remote control was in the hands of Gandhi family, did nothing on OROP?"
Targetting the AAP, Upadhyay said it started its political journey as a "B Team" of Congress. "Today both are fighting to undermine the sacrifice of martyrs and using unparliamentarily words towards other political parties, with their eyes set like vultures on vote bank politics."
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said that people of the country are watching and understanding the dirty politics being played by the Congress and the AAP centering the death of ex-serviceman.
Gupta also said that the BJP has no objection over Delhi government giving Rs 1-crore compensation to ex-serviceman's family, but we wish to know from Kejriwal, does he approve of suicide as a pressure tactic?"
He also said that he has urged Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung to constitute an expert committee to devise policy framework for grant of Rs 1-crore compensation to the family of martyrs.
