Dear All LIC Pensioners Friends,
In
the epoch making legal struggle of LIC Pensioners over two decades, we have
reached a crucial stage of now or never. We are determined to put an end to
LIC’s monetary discrimination among pensioners by creation of different groups
of pensioners based on different cut-off dates. It is a matter of regret that
at this crucial hour, we the pensioners, stand divided ideologically by having
multiple Pensioner-petitioners before the Delhi High Court. If monetary
discrimination among pensioners is to be put an end to, the first and foremost
necessity is to put an end to ideological and ego-based discrimination among
ourselves who are fighting the case.
Our
struggle started originally with just two players in the field – Federation of
Retired LIC Class I Officers Associations (Represented by GNS) and Mr K M L
Asthana, a retired Class I Officer of Jaipur. Subsequently two more
players joined the fray – the Chandigarh Petitioners and the Hyderabad Class I
Officers’ Association. Presently there are SIX in the fray, by addition of
AIRIEF and AIIPA. Originally started as a struggle of Class I Pensioners of
LIC, today it has become an over-all struggle of all classes of pensioners of
LIC. Whatever might have been the original prayers of various petitioners then,
today all the SIX players are convinced and determined to fight to finish and
realise the twin goals of 100% neutralization of DA and upgradation of pension
on each wage revision to serving employees.
There is certainly a convergence as
to the realisation of the common goal by all players. The apprehension of the
pensioners as a whole is that it should not end up as an exercise of “too many
cooks spoiling the broth”.
It
is a known fact that all representative petitioners in our case have been
liberally funded to face the huge legal expenses incurred by them individually,
by all the pensioners as a class.
Here, one should not overlook the fact
that a good number of pensioners – irrespective of whatever Class they belong
to- are members of more than one of our Pensioners Organisations. Similarly, a
good number of pensioners irrespective of the class/ Organisation they belong
to, have contributed liberally to Mr Asthana and to more than one of our
Pensioners’ Organisations. It is therefore morally incumbent on the part of all
representative petitioners to play fair and safe, in the legal arena to secure
the common desired goal to benefit all pensioners of LIC.
It
is in this context, my friend Mr CH Mahadevan’s appeal for a meeting of minds
and chiselling a common approach to face LIC/ GOI becomes timely and worthy of
consideration by one and all. It looks all the more relevant, when the reply
affidavits of LIC to each of the individual petitioners reportedly contain more
or less similar points to refute justice and fair play to LIC Pensioners.
Let
us trust in God and keep our powder dry!
V.
Gopalan
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