DUBAI: Even as the media forgotten One Rank One Pension campaign envelopes Patna where vets are joining the agitation, the core group in New Delhi are deciding on a date and method to hand over as many as 12,000 gallantry awards which they have collected from disappointed ex-servicemen. They expect a further infusion when a date is announced for the “handing over” ceremony.

Although awards have been returned in protest before it was always to the President who is the Supreme Commander.

This will be the first time an elected politician will be asked to take back these awards because of his broken promise which they allege is tantamount to betrayal.

If the veterans stretch the surrender to include campaign and long service medals then the average individual would have as many as five to ten gongs with attached ribbons.

There is nothing edifying about this scenario and seeking an appointment with this intent from the PMO is not likely to bear fruit.

Mr. Modi is scarcely going to put himself into a position where box loads of medals and ribbons weighing several tons will be offloaded onto him. Although some feel a token few on behalf of the rest might be better most ex-servicemen are of the opinion that it won’t be effective unless there is a deluge of metal.

“That is our shrapnel,” said one senior officer,“Many of those medals have blood and sacrifice on them.”

That said, the strategic move will certainly up the ante because with these medals come perks that extend to reduced rate air and rail travel, extra money, educational benefits and a now defunct out of line telephone connection.

Will they be ready to give those up with the medals?

More vitally, will the BJP be ready to slash these privileges earned in battle and set themselves up for criticism as the party that compromised India’s security. No way can one separate such a drastic step from impacting on the serving personnel.

It becomes that much more daunting to take on the Services at a time when the western border is anything but peaceful and the Kashmir issue as well as that of increased terrorist activity simmering on the front burner.

Major General Satbir Singh ,the spearhead of the OROP movement expressed regret that such a major decision had been made but said that the government has still not issued the promised notification made in the gazette, leaving them with no choice.

Perhaps it is time to end this shoddy situation and have a third party mediate the conclusion. And that can only be the President. Neither side, by convention or, by law, can go against the President and India needs this ended. There has been enough dawdling about with the protest entering its 116th day.

Otherwise there is a danger that both sides will have gone a bridge too far ... and there won’t be any way to span the gap.