New Delhi: Shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi reassured the ex-servicemen over implementation of One Rank One Pension, ex-servicemen called off their hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Sunday.
“We've ended our fast-unto-death, but if Govt does not fulfills its promise we are going to come back like a hurricane,” Major General (retd) Satbir Singh told ANI.
Colonel Pushpendra, Havildar Major Singh and Havildar Ashok Singh called off their hunger strike and were offered food.
“We are happy with the hunger strike been called off,” Colonel (retd) Pushpendra Singh was quoted by ANI.
However, they decided to continue their protest till all the "sticky" issues are resolved.
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Earlier today, Singh, who is leading the OROP campaign of the ex-servicemen, thanked PM Modi after his assurance over OROP and urged his colleagues sitting on hunger strike till death to call it off.
However, he highlighted four issues related to OROP and said that protest will continue “until four specific concerns are addressed by the government”.
"We urge all those who are on hunger strike to withdraw it as the PM has clarified on the issue of premature retirement. But our protest will continue till the government accepts four points raised by us," he said.
He said ex-servicemen may resume hunger strike again if the government fails to resolve the pending issues.
"We thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fulfilling the promise of one rank-one pension. We thank the defence minister but there are four issues to be resolved including the period of equalisation of pension," Singh said.
The ex-servicemen said revision of pension after a gap of five years as announced by the government is not at all acceptable to them, besides appointment of a one-man judicial commission to examine various aspects of one rank-one pension (OROP).
The veterans, who have been pressing for one rank-one pension (OROP) for four decades, yesterday won a partial victory with the government announcing that it would implement it, but the veterans rejected the decision and decided to continue their agitation.
The issue of whether the scheme would cover ex-servicemen who have taken premature retirement had emerged as a major sticking point.
They met Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday and later said his clarification in this regard was "satisfying".
(With PTI Inputs)
