Even as politics is being played out over the death of a retired army man who allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday claiming that he still had not received the increased pension promised by the government under its one rank one pension (OROP) scheme, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said the long pending demand of the soldiers have been fulfilled by the Modi government.
Singh, who was speaking at a press conference on 'disaster risk reduction', refused to comment on the Delhi police action against Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Rahul and Sisodia were detained after they tried to enter the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to meet the family of the deceased soldier Ram Kishen Grewal. He said the Delhi police would take necessary action for "risk reduction".
However, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said nobody should play politics over OROP and issues concerning soldiers.
The political slugfest over the alleged suicide of the army personnel broke out in full public glare after Rahul Gandhi reached the hospital and took the government to task on the issue. "This is new India. Recognise it," he said outside the hospital.
The Congress dubbed his detention 'undemocratic', with party leader Anand Sharma saying, "You don't need permission to go to the hospital to meet families of soldiers".
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "If someone commits suicide in my state, can't I come and meet the family? The central government is indulging in hooliganism".
The Delhi police, which functions under the Home Ministry, said it would not allow obstruction of functioning of the hospital and asked the politicians to refrain from playing politics at the hospital.
