The Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM), which has been protesting the NDA government’s handling of One Rank One Pension (OROP), on Thursday announced its support to the Congress in the Punjab Assembly elections.

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh announced that the IESM, which had denied any political affiliation till now, will campaign for the Congress across the country. Amarinder was flanked by chief ministers of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh – Harish Rawat and Virbhadra Singh, respectively.

The declaration of support comes after Amarinder assured IESM leader Satbir Singh that the party would look into their demands, particularly on One Rank One Pension (OROP).

For the past 571 days, the IESM has been protesting against the Modi government’s decision to “dilute” OROP. Ex-servicemen form a sizeable part of the population in Uttarakhand and Himachal. Elections are scheduled for next month in Uttarakhand and will take place in Himachal in 2018.

“We fully support the Congress in all state elections because they have accepted our demands,” Satbir Singh said.