Rahul, Sisodia detained amid high drama at RML
Amid high drama, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were today detained at the RML Hospital here after they tried to meet the family of an ex-serviceman who allegedly committed suicide over the OROP issue.
By : migrator
Update: 2016-11-02 16:53 GMT
New Delhi
The Congress Vice President was not allowed to enter the premises of the Centre-run hospital. His repeated attempts were stonewalled by the heavy posse of security personnel, drawing angry reaction from the leader who lashed out at the Modi government.
Speaking to reporters, Rahul wondered whether democracy works in this fashion.
Senior police official MK Meena said they will not allow obstruction of health services.
"We will not allow any kind of politics inside hospitals in Delhi. Democracy does not mean obstruction of health services. Rahul Gandhi has been detained at the Mandir Marg police station," he said.
Earlier, Sisodia managed to enter the hospital premises and meet the family members of the deceased, before being detained by police.
Eyewitnesses said Sisodia could enter the premises as he came in a civilian car, which went undetected by the security.
A senior official of the hospital said the deceased, Ram Kishan Grewal, was "brought dead to the hospital at 1.45 AM last night".
"His body was sent for post-mortem to Lady Hardinge at 7.30 AM in the morning today," the official said.
Vehicular movement ouitside the hospital was thrown out of gear as Rahul's presence led to chaos.
Implement OROP meaningfully, says Rahul
Rahul Gandhi asked the Prime Minister to implement One Rank, One Pension in a meaningful way in the wake of alleged suicide by an ex-serviceman over the issue and said soldiers should not have to struggle to claim what is their due.
“I urge the PM once again: soldiers should not have to struggle to claim what is their due. OROP must be implemented in a meaningful way! “My heartfelt condolences to the family of Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal. Extremely sad to learn of his death,” the Congress Vice President said on micro-blogging site Twitter. Pinning the letter he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi four days ago, Gandhi said “Let us show our gratitude to our brave soldiers not only through our words but also through our actions.”
In the letter, Gandhi had questioned Modi government’s resolve to work for soldiers’ welfare, asking the Prime Minister to first implement the ‘one rank, one pension’ scheme in a meaningful way and redress their pay anomalies and other grievances. The Congress Vice President had told the Prime Minister that he was saddened at the decisions of the government taken in the last few weeks “which are far from reassuring the soldiers and has caused them pain instead”. Steps should be taken to send a message to soldiers on Diwali expressing “our gratitude both in words and in deed”, Rahul had said in the letter to the Prime Minister who has launched a campaign through which people can send their Diwali greetings and messages to soldiers guarding the nation’s frontiers to boost their morale.
“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 Congress leader had said. “OROP must be implemented in a meaningful way to satisfy ex-servicemen and the anomalies in the 7th Pay Commission must be addressed at the earliest, because soldiers should not have to struggle to claim what is surely due to them on behalf of a grateful nation,” Rahul had said, claiming that some decision of the government have “adversely affect the morale of our armed forces,” he added.
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