Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 6 Aug: Chairman of the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Advisory Council and senior BJP leader Col Ajay Kothiyal (Retd) today levelled serious allegations against the Congress, accusing it of insulting ex-servicemen during its press conference held today on the Agniveer scheme. He said the manner in which former soldiers were allegedly treated by the Congress leaders during the event is highly condemnable and has once again exposed what he described as the party’s anti-army mindset and double standards.
Kothiyal said photographs of the press conference are deeply embarrassing and amount to an insult to the country’s brave soldiers. According to him, while the Congress event had been organised specifically to discuss issues concerning ex-servicemen, yet the photographs clearly show that the stage was occupied by Congress leaders and spokespersons, besides the National President of the party’s Ex-Servicemen Department and the Pradesh Congress President. In contrast, the very ex-servicemen in whose name the programme had been organised were allegedly made to stand behind the stage with folded hands.
Kothiyal questioned the Congress over what he termed a contradiction between its claims and actions, saying that if the programme was dedicated to the welfare, dignity and concerns of ex-servicemen, the seats on the stage should have been reserved for those who had served the nation rather than for party functionaries. He asserted that a party which could not even provide a seat to ex-servicemen on its own stage has no moral authority to claim that it respects the armed forces.
Kothiyal further alleged that the Congress is spreading misinformation and creating unnecessary confusion over the Agniveer scheme and the future of the soldiers. In contrast, he claimed, the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has undertaken historic initiatives for the modernisation of the armed forces, strengthening of national security and towards the welfare of the serving and the retired soldiers. He said the Agniveer scheme is designed not only to provide disciplined military training to the country’s youth but also to ensure better career opportunities for them in the future.
Referring to Uttarakhand, Kothiyal reminded that the Pushkar Singh Dhami government has taken significant steps to secure the future of Agniveers by providing 10 percent reservation for them in government jobs in the state. He added that through skill development initiatives, Agniveers are also being prepared for future employment opportunities, self-employment and entrepreneurship after completion of their military service.
He further claimed that the present government has not only strengthened the country’s borders but has also taken unprecedented measures for the welfare and safety of the soldiers. He said India is steadily moving towards self-reliance in the defence sector and has emerged as a significant exporter of the defence equipment. He also referred to the implementation of the long-pending One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, stating that the BJP government had fulfilled a long-standing demand of ex-servicemen by implementing the policy.
Recalling the Congress’ tenure in power, Kothiyal alleged that successive Congress governments had neglected both the modernisation of the armed forces and the welfare of soldiers. He claimed that the Congress had failed to provide the military with adequate bulletproof jackets and modern weaponry and had kept the demand for OROP pending for decades. He further alleged that previous Congress governments had also failed to accord due respect to martyrs and did not even ensure that the mortal remains of fallen soldiers were transported to their homes with full military honours.
Expressing strong resentment over the incident, Kothiyal said the Congress should stop indulging in politics over the armed forces and refrain from what he described as false displays of sympathy for soldiers. He demanded that the party immediately apologise to the country’s ex-servicemen, particularly those in Uttarakhand, for what he termed its disrespectful treatment of former soldiers during the press conference.
