BJP leader Advani woos ex-servicemen

Reaching out to the aggrieved retired defence personnel who have been demanding one-rank one-pension, BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani on Monday said he wants his party to incorporate this demand in its agenda for governance.

Reaching out to the aggrieved retired defence personnel who have been demanding one-rank one-pension, BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani on Monday said he wants his party to incorporate this demand in its agenda for governance.

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"Armed forces are a category apart. And therefore this question of one rank, one pension has to be properly dealt with and justly endorsed," Advani said while releasing "Guarding India's Integrity", an autobiography of Lt-Gen (Retd) S K Sinha.

He stated that BJP would make efforts to solve this grievance.

"I can only say that my colleagues who are preparing the (BJP) manifesto and agenda for governance...I want that they should take a pledge to resolve this issue also," Advani said.

The former Deputy Prime Minister said even the common man is extremely worried about this issue and expressed concern that some retired defence personnel had returned their medals in protest against government failure to implement the demand.

"Most of the officers retire many years earlier than their civilian counterparts. This is an issue which has been agitating all those belonging to the armed forces for a long time," Advani said.