Signing in Blood
A battle for equality
BANGALORE: Our soldiers dedicate their lives in fighting for our country. Now, they fighting for ‘One Rank, One Pension’ and defending the former soldiers’ interests in a rally held by the Indian Ex-servicemen Movement (IESM) on Sunday. The former members of the various armed forces intensified their struggle for ‘One Rank, One Pension’ by signing a memorandum in their own blood to be sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Armed with meritorious service, nearly 250 ex-servicemen comprising officers, JCOs, NCOs and others vouched to continue the struggle if their demands were not met. “We will continue to fight till death,” said Colonel SS Rajan (Retd), South Zone and Karnataka State Convenor for the movement and added that ‘thyag, balidaan and qurbani’ were something that they were well versed with.
He said that ex-servicemen in Delhi also held a rally in the New Delhi and wanted to return nearly 5,000 medals from their service to the President in person but to no avail as the President did not even meet them.
“The nation must repay its debt to the defendants of the motherland with gratitude and humility,” he said. Citing that bureaucrats were adding to the ‘impediment’, Rajan pointed out that elected representatives could ease the ‘pain and anguish’ that the ex-servicemen were made to suffer. Rajan said that army men were not even provided alternative employment after their service to the nation. Seeking a joint parliamentary committee to be set up by April 15, 2010 to look into the issue, SS Rajan said that they will organise a national-level meet in the city to raise awareness and also try to garner support for the movement.
The protestors will meet Chief Minister BS Yedyurappa and ask him to forward the memorandum to the PM. “The PM has never given us an appointment,” he said. He added that he hoped that the memorandum would at least reach his office if the CM ratifies it. He said that they will follow Gandhian ways to make their point. The IESM will organise a “fast unto death satyagraha” later this year, Rajan added.
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