The Congress on Friday strongly objected to the new proposal of the Narendra Modi government which says only those officers who have spent more than 35 years in the armed forces shall be entitled to a “full pension”, arguing that the BJP’s fake nationalism used the soldiers merely for seeking votes.

Accusing the government of betraying the armed forces, Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala said: “The reality is that 90 per cent of army officers retire before 35 years of service. The Modi government is clearly hatching a conspiracy to deny 90 per cent of army officers their full pension. This will not only demoralise the officers but also discourage the youth from joining the service.”

Referring to a letter circulated by the department of military affairs (DMA) in the office of the Chief of Defence Staff seeking suggestions for the proposal, Surjewala launched a scathing attack on the BJP, saying: “Habituated to seeking votes on the sacrifice of our brave soldiers and on the nationalism plank, this government has become the first regime in history to steal their pension and alternative career choices after ‘active service’ of those officers who protect our motherland.”

Surjewala explained: “At the time of recruitment in the army, that is military commission, every officer in the Indian Military Academy has to compulsorily sign a 20-year mandatory service bond. An officer after 20 years of rigorous service presently gets 50 per cent of his last-drawn salary as pension, but the new proposal is snatching away 50 per cent of that. For instance, if an officer gets Rs 1 lakh as his last-drawn salary, he will get Rs 50,000 as pension under the existing scheme. The new proposal shall only give the officer Rs 25,000.”

He added: “On an average, 65 per cent army officers are confined to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Only 35 per cent officers can aspire to reach the position of colonel or above. In such a situation, after serving for 20 years, those military officers find a second career option in life with full pension and effectively contribute to nation-building.

“Thereby, the Indian Army always remains young, which in military language is called ‘lean and mean fighting force’. If the government’s devious proposal comes into force, then 65 per cent of military officers will forever lose their second career option and their creative support in nation-building in civilian areas outside the military.”

The Congress leader also insisted that the terms of service of military officers cannot be modified with a back date.

“When 20 years of compulsory service and full pension after 20 years have been prescribed for retirement, then how can the government revise all those conditions of service? There is already a shortage of 9,427 officers in the three armed forces of India,” Surjewala said.

“The figures available for June 2019 show that there are 7,399 less officers in the army, 1,545 are wanted in the navy and 483 less in the air force. The Modi government’s agenda-driven proposal, which breaks the morale of the Indian Army, shall make our armed forces less attractive for our youth to join and ultimately the country will suffer a loss,” he added.