Rahul bats for soldiers, jabs at Modi

SANJAY K. JHA, TT, New Delhi, Oct. 29: Rahul Gandhi has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to merely pay lip service to the cause of soldiers but take action to ameliorate their plight.

In a letter to Modi yesterday, the Congress vice-president said: "Our soldiers risk their lives each day to defend the nation and it is our duty to show them that we care for them and their families, not only through our words, but also through our actions."

Rahul left no room for ambiguity, emphasising that he was referring to the government's rejection of the services' demands on anomalies in the seventh pay commission, one rank one pension (Orop) and the recent reduction in disability pension.

Sources said Rahul felt compelled to raise questions because of the government's alleged attempt to exploit soldiers' sacrifices. The Congress sees Modi's appeal to citizens to send Diwali wishes to soldiers as part of the government's partisan political messaging. The BJP has tried to keep the soldier in the centre of the public discourse since the surgical strikes across the Line of Control.

Rahul's letter too is a political response to Modi's stratagem. He said: "I am writing... to bring to your attention several reports emerging in the media about decisions... that I believe adversely affect the morale of our armed forces.

"I am saddened that in the last few weeks actions taken by the government, far from reassuring the soldiers, have indeed caused them pain and hurt."

He added: "Just days after our soldiers conducted the surgical strikes, the disability pension system was converted to a new slab system that, in many instances, drastically reduces the pension received by these brave men in case of a disability.

"The rollout of the seventh pay commission continues to keep our defence forces at a disadvantage and further exacerbates the disparity between them and civil employees."

The Congress has been raising these issues without achieving any political traction. Rahul has now stepped in, asking the government why it downgraded the status of our military officers vis-a-vis their civilian counterparts as reflected in a letter dated October 18, 2016.

"And finally, contrary to what was promised, Orop... does not fully meet the genuine demands of our ex-servicemen and they have been forced to come out on the streets to make their voice heard," he said.

He concluded the letter, saying: "I therefore urge you, Prime Minister, to ensure that our soldiers get their due whether it is regarding compensation, disability pension, parity with civil employees or Orop...

"As we celebrate Diwali and rejoice in the victory of light over darkness, let us send this message to our soldiers that our gratitude is expressed both in words and in deed. This is the very least we owe to those who give up their today to secure our tomorrow."

Late this evening, as the defence ministry issued a statement saying the methodology for calculation of the disability element had been referred to the anomaly committee, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala gave credit to Rahul.

Surjewala said: "Post public outrage and Rahul Gandhi's letter to the Prime Minister, the government has finally woken up from the earlier web of denial to redress the all-important issue of arbitrarily reducing disability pension for injuries suffered in combat.

"A gross wrong done to our armed forces has been undone, though belatedly and after huge hue and cry. We urge the government to take a cue and address the remaining issues raised by Rahul."

Party sources said the letter was a planned intervention to counter the BJP's alleged attempts to use soldiers to bolster its electoral fortunes. While the BJP has announced a programme to contact soldiers' families in Uttar Pradesh, the Prime Minister has used Diwali to exploit public sentiment about the army after the surgical strikes.

Although the appeal to send Diwali wishes to soldiers sounds uncontroversial, Congress leaders believe "Sandesh2Soldiers" isn't an off-the-cuff idea but is carefully crafted to leverage Modi's image as a robust leader. Modi is an integral part of the messaging exercise.

The messaging is done through a specially designed Modi app where the sender has to reveal his/her name, mobile number, email address, profession, voter I-card number and area of interest. A personal description in 500 words is also asked for.

Congress leaders see this as a clandestine voter-profiling exercise. They suspect data collection is being done with a purpose. Also, along with the sender's message, Modi's quote gets automatically added.

Another way of sending wishes is through mygov.in, which is a platform largely used for Modi's image-building. Congress leaders say the Prime Minister has used opportunities for personal propaganda in the past too, as for example, the give-it-up scheme for petroleum subsidy.

The petroleum ministry sent certificates, carrying a photograph and personal message from Modi, to every consumer who gave up subsidy. The Swachh Bharat campaign and the yoga promotion are also seen as part of Modi's propaganda machinery.