OROP suicide row: VK Singh slams Congress, AAP, says Rahul Gandhi playing politics over dead

New Delhi: As the controversy over alleged suicide by an Army veteran over One Rank One Pension (OROP) issue refuses to die down, Union Minister VK Singh, Friday, slammed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Aam Aadmi Party leaders for playing politics over dead.

Taking on Rahul Gandhi and AAP leaders, the former Army chief questioned the intention of the opposition leaders attending the funeral of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal saying, "Did Rahul and the AAP leaders ever went to attend the funeral of any other soldier.”

“Rahul is just playing politics over dead,” Singh categorically stated.

The Congress vice president was on Thursday detained for the third time in two days, with Delhi Police picking him up from Jantar Mantar to prevent him from leading a protest march over the suicide of an ex- serviceman, allegedly due to his grievances in implementation of OROP.

In the face of strong opposition criticism over the suicide of an ex-serviceman, VK Singh yesterday said Grewal was a Congress worker, a day after he raised questions about the "mental state" of the 70- year-old ex-serviceman.

Grewal was cremated in Bamla village in Haryana's Bhiwani distric in the presence of hundreds of people including Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal.

A former Rajputana Rifles subedar, the 70-year-old allegedly consumed poison at a Delhi park on Tuesday evening demanding the immediate implementation of the OROP scheme.

Grewal is survived by his widow, five sons and two daughters. He served in the Army for six years in the Infantry Battalion and then served the Defence Security Force for 31 years.

He retired in 2004 after attaining Subedar rank. He became Sarpanch of the village in 2006. One of his sons is Havildar in army and the eldest son is in Haryana police.