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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, 9 April, urged the first-time voters to dedicate their vote to the Indian Air Force soldiers who carried out the air strikes in Balakot and to the CRPF personnel who were killed in the Pulwama terror attack. The prime minister was speaking at a rally in Maharashtra’s Latur, reported PTI.
“I want to ask the first-time voter, can your vote be dedicated to those soldiers who conducted air strikes on Balakot in Pakistan? Can your first vote be dedicated to those soldiers who were killed in the Pulwama attack?”PM Narendra Modi
Modi said, the first-time voters should remember that their first vote is something which they will remember for the rest of their lives. “You will always remember to whom did you vote and in which election,” he said.
As If the Army Belongs to Him: Mamata Banerjee
Criticising Modi for seeking votes in the name of soldiers, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the armed forces belong to each and every Indian and that Modi should not think the forces to be their fiefdom.
“He is now seeking votes in the name of martyrs and soldiers as if the army belongs to him, as if it’s their fiefdom. Armed forces belong to everybody. It is our pride. He should first answer why so many jawans were killed in Pulwama despite intelligence inputs of such an attack,” Mamata said.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said that first-time voters should ask Prime Minister Modi why the Balakot air strikes became necessary in the first place.
“Why did the Pulwama attack succeed? On whose watch have attacks in Uri, Pathankot, Sunjwan, Nagrota and Pulwama happened? Don't reward Balakot, punish Pulwama!” Abdullah tweeted.
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, in an apparent reference to the Election Commission, took a sarcastic swipe at the prime minister for invoking the soldiers for electoral gains.
“Repeat after me. MCC is Modi Code of Conduct,” she quipped.
NCP National Spokesperson Nawab Malik hit out at Modi for allegedly using the surgical strike and the Balakot strikes for poll campaigning.
“Modi ji will have to give answers on the number of terrorist attacks in the country. The country is not safe in his hands,” Malik said.
CPI(M) Knocks on EC's Door
The CPI(M) wrote to the Election Commission on Tuesday, 9 April, alleging violation of the poll panel’s directive, after Prime Minister Modi asked first-time voters to dedicate their votes to the soldiers.
In the letter, the party’s politburo member Nilotpal Basu urged the poll panel to “strongly initiate” appropriate action to stop the pre-election atmosphere from being vitiated, which is fast degenerating towards polarisation.
“With deep anguish, we are drawing your attention to the latest violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is also violating the specific direction of the Election Commission to refrain from invoking the armed forces for seeking votes.”Nilotpal Basu, CPI(M)’s Politburo Member
Taking a dig at Modi’s remarks, Congress’ Puducherry unit called it a blatant violation of the Model Code of Conduct and asked the Election Commission what action it would take regarding the issue.
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy slammed Prime Minister Modi for politicising the Pulwama attack and the Balakot air strikes. Calling Modi “shameless,” Kumaraswamy said, after five years of “disaster,” Modi has nothing to offer to the people of Karnataka and continues to politicise the armed forces.
“The nation is watching how low the PM can stoop for votes by comparing the voters of Karnataka to terror-breeding Pakistan,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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