Report

EX-SERVICEMEN CELL

Ex-Servicemen Gear up for Maharashtra Elections

For the AICC Ex-Servicemen Cell it was a matter of great pride that its Chairman, Lt. Gen. M.M. Lakhera was appointed as the Lt. Governor of Pondicherry. A number of messages were received from ex-servicemen throughout the country expressing their gratitude to the Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, for recognising the services of the Ex-Servicemen cell in mobilizing the ex-servicemen to the party as also working for their welfare. Gen. Lakhera, having been Adjutant General in the Army Headquarters before retirement, was a great asset to the Cell in its welfare activities to which the Cell gave a high priority for the last 3 ½ years.

Earlier, during the last week of June, Capt. Praveen Davar, Secretary, AICC Ex-Servicemen Cell visited Pune and addressed a meeting of Ex-Servicemen which was held at the Congress headquarters in the city. Nearly 300 ex-servicemen from Pune and adjoining areas participated in the meeting which was extremely well-organized by the Chairman, MPCC Ex-Servicemen Cell, Shri Prabhakar Sathe.

Addressing the gathering, Capt. Praveen Davar thanked the ex-servicemen for voting overwhelmingly for the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections, especially in Pune, where the Congress candidate Shri Suresh Kalmadi, an ex-serviceman, won by a huge margin. Capt. Davar apprised the ex-servicemen of the organizational and welfare activities of the Cell in the last 3 ½ years as a result of which a large number of ex-army personnel throughout the country have become active supporters of the Congress ideology. He also highlighted the unprecedented corruption and pro-rich policies of the Vajpayee government which resulted in its downfall. Capt. Davar said that as Maharashtra is an ex-servicemen dominated state it will be the endeavour of the Cell to organize at least a dozen meetings in the State before the elections.

Shri Prabhakar Sathe, who had been appointed as the Chairman, MPCC Ex-Servicemen Cell only a few months ago, unfortunately, passed away due to sudden heart attack next day in Mumbai and the scheduled meeting in the Maharashtra capital had to be cancelled. A large number of ex-servicemen from Pune and adjoining areas attended the last rites of Shri Prabhakar Sathe at Pune. Condolences were received from, besides Lt. Gen. M.M. Lakhera and Capt. Praveen Davar, senior Congress leaders of MPCC and DCC, Pune.

The Ex-Servicemen Cell continued its welfare activities and took up a number of cases with relevant authorities regarding pensions, medical and land related cases. The Kendriya Sanik Board released a cheque of Rs. 92,543 as financial assitance to an ex-serviceman, (JWO Surendra Singh of Dist. Mau, U.P) on intervention of Capt. Davar who followed up the case to its logical conclusion.