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Mallikarjun Kharge's 'fake nationalism' barb at BJP over military disability rules
On September 22, the Ministry of Defence released new rules that will govern the grant of disability benefits to members of the armed forces.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday described the new rules for the grant of disability benefits to armed forces as the display of BJP's "fake nationalism". In an elaborate post on his X account, the Congress veteran claimed the updated rules will impact around 40 percent of Army officers who retire with disability pension, and the new policy was in contravention of old court judgements, rules and "acceptable" global norms.
On September 22, the Ministry of Defence released new rules that will govern the grant of disability benefits to members of the armed forces. The new rules reportedly alter the definition of pension, eligibility criteria and the quantum of compensation accorded in cases of disability during service.
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"BJP's Fake Nationalism is yet again visible in the new disability pension rules for our brave Armed Forces," Kharge wrote.
"Around 40% of Army officers retire with disability pension, and the present policy change shall flout multiple past judgements, rules and acceptable global norms," he added.
Referring to the All India Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association's protest against the new rules, Kharge said the government's move places soldiers at a disadvantageous position compared to civilian employees.
The ex-servicemen body found the new policy in contravention of law and Supreme Court judgements and has demanded its immediate revocation.
The body took exception to the fact that the disability pension will be called 'Impairment Relief'. It called the change of the definition of Invalidation 'regressive'.
In a statement accessed by The Indian Express, the association's chairperson, Bhim Sen Sehgal, said the rules require personnel to complete at least 10 years of service to be eligible for Invalid Pension. He claimed this requirement was abrogated for civilian employees in 2019.
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The statement claimed that under the new rules released by the MoD, heart diseases will only be considered service-linked if they occur in high-altitude areas. However, for civilian employees, the association claimed, all heart diseases are considered to be linked with stress and strain of service.
The association also claimed that the Ministry of Defence has continued with its policy of not granting disability pension to trainee officers. The new rules mandate that cadets will be entitled to an ex-gratia payment in case of disability during service.
Attacking the Modi government further for its decisions linked to the armed forces, Kharge pointed out that in June 2019, it announced it would tax disability pension. The government had rolled back the decision after public outrage.
He dubbed the Modi government "a habitual offender working against the welfare of jawans, ex-servicemen and veterans".
He demanded the setting up of an ex-servicemen commission to address the grievances of armed forces veterans.
