Rahul Gandhi Highlights Veteran Challenges, Calls for Better Healthcare and Employment
Gandhi demands better healthcare, funds for veterans in committee.
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, as a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, rigorously highlighted a range of pressing challenges confronting ex-servicemen during the committee's meeting focused on resettlement policies, healthcare facilities, and employment avenues, bringing attention to systemic shortfalls in hiring opportunities, inadequate medical treatment access, and chronically insufficient budgetary allocations dedicated to veteran welfare.
Gandhi drew particular emphasis to the acute difficulties veterans encounter when referred to private hospitals for specialised care, noting that numerous facilities frequently deny admission or delay treatment owing to accumulated pending dues from government reimbursements, thereby compounding the physical and emotional burdens on those who have served the nation.
He vociferously questioned the paltry financial assistance capped at Rs 75,000 provided for life-threatening illnesses such as cancer and kidney diseases, arguing that such minimal amounts are grossly inadequate to cover comprehensive diagnostic procedures, surgeries, chemotherapy, or dialysis, and insisted on a significant upward revision to ensure dignified and effective medical support.
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In a separate but strongly worded condemnation, Gandhi addressed the racially motivated fatal assault on Tripura student Anjel Chakma in Dehradun, accusing the ruling BJP of systematically normalising hate through relentless propagation of toxic narratives targeted especially at youth, which he warned is eroding India's foundational values of respect and unity.
Reiterating solidarity with the bereaved Chakma family and the broader Northeast community, Gandhi called for profound national introspection to confront rising intolerance, urging citizens to reject indifference and actively preserve a society rooted in love and diversity, as police continue investigations with five arrests already effected and efforts underway to apprehend the remaining accused.
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