Defense Minister’s Himachal tour kept in a hurry
As the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections neared, the BJP government at the end of the fifth year of its tenure and in a hurry, on the Jwalamukhi visit of the Defense Minister, finally remembered the honor of Veer Bhoomi’s ex-servicemen, Veer Naris and Ardhbal soldiers- Respect. Altogether there are more than four and a half lakh ex-servicemen in Himachal Pradesh. Apart from Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi and Bilaspur, there are sufficient numbers of them in other districts, if their families are also included, then their total number is about twenty lakhs. Which has a clear impact on elections as well.
But the way the Central, State Government and Home Ministry are continuously ignoring both the organizations and making cuts in their facilities, due to which there is a huge anger among the army and paramilitary ex-servicemen and they are protesting openly. The huge rally of Congress Ex-Servicemen Department in Kangra, Palampur, Kutlahar, Barsar and the Shimla and Una dharna demonstrations are direct evidence of this.
The in-charge, chairman and all the vice-presidents of the Congress ex-servicemen department made a scathing attack on the BJP saying that seeing the land slipping, the BJP has organized a program of defense minister Rajnath Singh’s volcano tour and went from house to house to the brave women, ex-servicemen. You are requested to come. The Congress ex-servicemen department said that the Defense Minister is warmly welcomed in the Devbhoomi of the heroes, but why did he also remember the heroes and brave ex-servicemen at the end of the fifth year in the time of the election?
On his visit, he will also have to answer some pertinent questions from ex-servicemen:
Why has the BJP government stopped the arrears of One Rank One Pension Scheme since 2019 for six months despite the order of the Supreme Court in March last?
It should be noted that in the last two years, about Rs 2000 crore has been cut in the ECHS health facility of ex-servicemen, due to which the beneficiaries are not getting complete medicines, treatment and equipment. Will the BJP government eliminate this deduction and make a provision to give the entire budget to the ECHS scheme by linking it to the pension fund?
On one hand, BJP makes claims of respect for soldiers, but on the other hand, by running a flawed scheme like Agneepath, Agniveer, it has snatched away four thousand jobs of the youth, dependents of ex-servicemen every year and physical in the last two years under the guise of Corona. And will the youth who pass the medical examination get a written examination and give them an opportunity to join the army?
The government spent crores of rupees on lawyers and dragged the soldiers who were disabled during the service to the court for eight years, tell them that the income tax on their pension will be completely abolished?
Will the Defense Minister end the cuts made in the CSD canteen and start restoring the facilities available before 2014?
Why delay in education allowance and marriage grant of daughters by two years?
Defense Minister, tell me why the valuable land of our cantonment areas is being sold and handed over to the capitalists, private sector companies at a penny price?
Why has military security been put at risk by completely opening up cantonments to civilians?
Why Retired Paramilitary Forces Board was not constituted in Himachal? Why the delay in expanding their health and canteen facilities? When will the pension facility be implemented as before and when will they get the status of ex-servicemen and reservation in government jobs.
It is expected that lakhs of ex-servicemen of the state will have the courage to answer all these questions correctly from Devbhoomi during the visit of Hon’ble Defense Minister Shri Rajnath Singh ji to Himachal?
If he does not announce the restoration of these deductions, then surely the ex-servicemen and paramilitary soldiers jointly will give a befitting reply to the BJP government in the upcoming assembly elections, further articulating their opposition.
