VK Singh comes under attack for his comment on deceased ex-serviceman

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday said minister of state for external affairs and former army chief VK Singh should be examined as “he has gone crazy”, after the latter questioned the mental state of an ex-serviceman who committed suicide over the Orop issue.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday said minister of state for external affairs and former army chief VK Singh should be examined as “he has gone crazy”, after the latter questioned the mental state of an ex-serviceman who committed suicide over the Orop issue.

Retired army chief VK Singh had questioned the mental state of subedar Ram Kishan Grewal, who was leading a protest by former Haryana servicemen against ‘one rank one pension’ (Orop) and who committed suicide. (HT File Photo)

“I don’t know who has made VK Singh a minister, as he doesn’t even know that the election of sarpanch was not on the basis of a ticket,” AAP leader Sanjay Singh told ANI. “In the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘dalali’, he has fallen to such an extent that instead of lamenting on the death of former soldier, he is raising questions on his mental state. They are liars and frauds.”

Sanjay Singh was referring to the retired army chief’s comment about subedar Ram Kishan Grewal, who was leading a protest by former Haryana servicemen against ‘one rank one pension’ (Orop) and who committed suicide after he and other veterans unsuccessfully tried to handover a petition for the defence minister.

Read | Ex-serviceman allegedly kills self over ‘One Rank One Pension’ issue

“Nobody knows the reason why Grewal committed suicide. Orop has been shown as the reason, but we do not know the status of his mental health. Orop should be kept separate from politics,” the former army chief had told ANI on Thursday.

The AAP leader responded that if raising the issues of Orop, pension and salary of soldiers was politics then they would repeatedly do “this politics”.

The Congress too lamented the comments made against the ex-serviceman.

“It is unfortunate that a retired general of the Indian Army is making such comments about soldiers of the Indian Army and humiliating them,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said. “The BJP and VK Singh politicise such matters; they should stop doing this and should stand with them.”

Surjewala urged the Centre to implement Orop to prevent mores suicides by army soldiers and warned that there was a need to check ministers who insult the armed forces.

Orop, a longstanding demand of ex-servicemen, grants retired armed forces personnel pension in parity with officers and jawans of the same rank who are retiring now.

Read | Centre must apologise to ex-serviceman’s family: Scindia

With inputs from ANI