Advani hits back at PM

Targets Manmohan on "false" claims of enhanced pension for army personnel

PIT | March 4, 2010


File photo of LK Advani
File photo of LK Advani

A day after locking horns with Manmohan Singh during the Presidential Address debate, senior BJP leader L K Advani today said the prime minister had breached parliamentary propriety by making "false" claims that enhanced pension announced for army personnel had been met.

"Advani informed BJP MPs about PM's claim in Lok Sabha yesterday that the government had implemented its decision on enhancement of pension to JCOs and Jawans. No JCO or Jawan has received any such orders. This is a very serious matter of parliamentary impropriety," senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters, quoting Advani.

Advani, who is chairman of BJP Parliamentary Party, was speaking at a meeting of the BJP MPs here. He cited a letter written by Maj Gen (Retd.) Satbir Singh, vice chairman, Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement, where the latter had mentioned the July 6, 2009 order.

Manmohan Singh had intervened several times yesterday while Advani was replying to the Presidential Address in the Lok Sabha, including on the issue of enhancement of pension to ex-servicemen.

Advani had yesterday pointed to Singh's Independence Day speech in which he had referred to steps regarding the demand of ex servicemen relating to 'one rank one pay'.

Singh said whatever promises have been made were delivered by the government and that Advani "should not create a rift between the Services and the government".

"Advani said that the prime minister should have studied the matter properly and then spoken on it. This impropriety should be taken seriously," Naidu said.

The government had earmarked Rs 2100 crore per year for the benefit of 12 lakh JCOs and jawans.

Advani praised his party MPs for their performance in parliament on cornering the government on price rise. On the future strategy, he said the Kashmir issue and US "pressure" on India's foreign policy matters should be emphasised by BJP in parliament.

"Advani said our complaints are not against the US but against our government's tendency to bow under international pressure. The Saghir Ahmed report on autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir gives the impression that the government will buckle under pressure," Naidu told reporters.

The senior BJP leader also said Home Minister P Chidambaram's recent statement on allowing return of Kashmiri militants from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir would lead to "disastrous consequences".

Advani also patted BJP and NDA state governments which had done well in terms of GDP growth.

"The Central Statistical Survey figures show the five top-most states are BJP and NDA-ruled. Gujarat tops the list, followed by Bihar, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand. The fifth is Orissa," Naidu said.

BJP maintained that it had not worked out any floor co-ordination with other opposition parties on taking on the government but had no problems in working with them.

On the proposed Women's Reservation Bill, likely to be tabled on March 8, Naidu said BJP would support the legislation, even though some NDA allies are opposed to it.

Comments

 

Other News

Here’s an I.D.E.A. for career growth and success

Success in today’s professional organisation is no longer solely determined by academic qualifications, technical expertise or years of experience. While these attributes do matter, organisations increasingly value individuals who demonstrate the right mindset and behavioural qualities. The ability

PM interacts with CEOs, founders of space startups

Prime minister Narendra Modi interacted with CEOs and Founders of 20 Space Startups at Seva Teerth on Friday.   CEOs of leading companies in the space sector working in diverse fields ranging from building rockets and reusable semi-cryogenic launch vehicles, avionics, satelli

From one cow to a dairy business

In 2012, Anita Dash wasn`t dreaming of building a dairy brand. She wasn`t studying business models or planning market expansion. Like countless mothers across India, her focus was on something much simpler: giving her children a better future.   At the time, her most valuable

Ethanol blending: The two sides of a story

India`s crude oil consumption is estimated to be around 88.5% imported from abroad. This one single figure is also responsible for why ethanol has become both an economic strategy and fuel policy at the same time. In an economy like India, which depends so heavily on foreign oil, any increase in internat

Food inflation: Not a macroeconomic statistic but a developmental indicator

India`s retail inflation shows a reassuring picture at first glance. According to the latest data, Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation edged up to 4.38% in June 2026 from 3.93% in May 2026, but continued to remain within the Reserve Bank of India`s (RBI) target band of 4% (+/- 2%). However, beneath this

Skin in the game or masterful market timing?

When a company founder opens their personal chequebook to buy shares in their own business, stock markets usually applaud. To the average retail investor, it feels like the ultimate vote of confidence, a sign that the people running the show have real skin in the game and believe brighter days are ahead.

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter