File Photo: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi (AFP Photo)
Amid growing demands for 'one-rank-one-pension" for ex-servicemen, Rahul Gandhi will now be taking up their cause by meeting representatives of former military personnel and war widows at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi today.
Party sources said that Mr Gandhi is taking up the cause of "one-rank-one-pension" at a time when there is unhappiness among ex-servicemen over non-implementation of the scheme.
Congress alleges that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone back on his words on the issue after promising to implement the scheme for retired military personnel.
The demand for one-rank-one-pension scheme made by soldiers had been acceded to by the Congress-led UPA government and announced again by the BJP after it came to power last year. The UPA government had even allocated Rs 8,300 crore budget for the scheme.
Reports suggest that the Comptroller of Defence Accounts has estimated that the cost of one-rank-one-pension could be as high as Rs 9,300 crore.
Earlier, the Congress Vice President had taken up a variety of issues including the protests against the land acquisition bill to woo farmers, real estate bill to empathise with urban middle class, and protection of youth through net neutrality.