Punjab News Express/Satinder Bains
CHANDIGARH: Thge ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP alliance partners in Punjab and also BJP Chief Minister in Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar have refused to accept exserviceman Ram Kishan Grewal as martyr on the plea that a person who commits suicide cant be a martyr. They seemed to have ignored that Ram Kishan has committed suicide for a cause.
As far as history of Punjab is concerned, Darshan Singh Pheruman who enjoys status of amrtyr had given up his life for Punjabi Suba movement.He had started fast unto death and later died in hospital. In legal terminology, fast unto death is at par with suicide. Punjab Governemnt had declared Pheruman a martyr. During freddom struggle of India many nationalists had committed suicide to avopid their arrest. The great revolutoinary Chander Shekhar Azad had also shot him dead after he was surrounded by british army.
A nation wide debate has begun over suicide of Ram Kishan who had committed suicide for cause of his fraternity of defence forces. He was upset that center government led by Narender Modi is not implementing One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for defence personnal. He choose to made a sacrifice for his community. He had no family problems even as BJP leadership is trying to project him a mentally sick person. The entire ex-servicemen community is upset over the suicide by their colleague and callous attitude of center government.
In context of Punjab, the PPCC president Capt Amarinder Singh considers Ram Kishan a martyr who has sacrificed his life for cause of ex-servicemen. The AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had already announced a martyr status for the deceased soldier. However SAD and BJP are adamant on their stand and not ready to accept him a martyr. Harjit Singh Grewal national secretary of BJP said that thy dont want to set a wrong precedent by giving martyr's status to a person who committed suicide. The SAD has also taken almost same stand. SAD minister Sohan Singh Thandal who was on panel in deabte on Zee Punjab and Haryana strongly opposed martyr status to Ram Kishan.
A poll survey conducted by ZEE Punjab Punajb and Haryana has revealed that 73 percent people are in favour of granting martyr status to Ram Kishan. Brig H.S.Kahlon(retd) who was on ZEE Punjab and Haryana panel in debate said that Ram Kishan had sacrificed his life for a cause and he deserved due recognition.
The sand taken by SAD and BJP to undermine the sacrifice of Ram Kishan may cause deerly to the alliance partners in coming assembly elections. Punjab has strong population of ex-servicemen who are uopset over delay in implementation of OROP.
In national politics the issue has occupied prime space on all news channels. The ZEE TV, inclined to BJP has criticised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for giving martyr status to Ram Kishan. Zee TV has given logic that if Kejriwal will give Rs. Crore to family of Ram Kishan then why he cant give same amount to all martyrs belonging to other states. Zee TV misguided the audience on the issue to blame AAP Government. The rule is that concerened state where the martyr belonged would compensate the martyr's family. The BJP led govenments in country give only Rs.5 to 10 lakhs to family of martyrs. It is only AAP government which took policy decision to give Rs.one crore to kin of all defence persons who sacrifice lives for nation.