Former Navy Chief Admiral L Ramdas on Monday, 2 April said he would approach the Election Commission against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who referred to the Indian Army as “Modiji ki sena (Modi's army),” reported PTI.
He said, the armed forces do not belong to any individual and claimed that many veterans and those in the service were upset over it.
“The armed forces do not belong to any one individual, they serve the country. Till the polls get over, the Chief Election Commissioner is the boss. I am going to approach the Election Commission in this regard.”L Ramdas, Former Navy Chief Admiral
What Did Yogi Say?
Hitting out at opposition parties over a host of governance issues on Sunday, 31 March, Adityanath said what was “impossible” for the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party is possible under the BJP rule, at an election campaign for the BJP in Ghaziabad.
“Under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, terror camps are being destroyed which is breaking the back of terrorists and Pakistan. This is the work being done by the BJP government and this is the difference,” the Uttar Pradesh chief minister added.
"What was impossible for the Congress is possible for PM Modi. When there is Modi, the impossible becomes possible," he said.
Campaigning for sitting MP and Union minister VK Singh, Adityanath listed out the achievements brought in the region under five years of Modi rule in the Centre and two years of his in the state.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India on Monday, 1 April, took cognisance of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yodi Adityanath’s remarks.
The district magistrate of Ghaziabad has been asked to furnish a report in this regard, a functionary said.
The report will be submitted to the office of chief electoral officer of Uttar Pradesh which has sought the details after taking cognisance of media reports in this regard.
Yogi Must Apologise: Priyanka Chaturvedi
Yogi’s comments drew flak from the opposition parties, who slammed the BJP for personalising the armed forces and demanded an apology.
Hitting out at the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Congress Spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “Now the Indian Army has been renamed as 'Modiji's sena' by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This is an insult to our armed forces. They are India's armed forces, not the private army of ‘Prachaar Mantri.’ Adityanath must apologise.”
West Bengal Chief Mamata Banerjee said that “it is shocking to hear the UP CM saying that the Indian Army is the ‘Modi Sena’.”
“We are proud of our Army. They belong to all. They are a great asset of our nation, and not a cassette of the BJP. People of this country must stand up and reject this statement,” the TMC chief said in a tweet.
Condemning the politicisation of the armed forces, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, the armed forces belong to everyone and not “Modi ji ki sena.” Their valour and sacrifice should not be politicised, he said.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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