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Updated: Apr 02, 2019 11:16 IST

Former Navy Chief Admiral L Ramdas Monday 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)”.

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,” Admiral Ramdas said.

Addressing a rally in Ghaziabad on Sunday, Adityanath referred to the Indian Army as “Modiji ki sena”, which triggered a political storm with sharp reactions from the opposition.

The remarks have also not gone down well with the military with sources indicating that it was “upset”.

Lt Gen (retd) H S Panag also said the comments did not come as a surprise as such remarks have been made by politicians over the last five years in an attempt to link nationalism with the armed forces.

“Such comments lead to politicisation of the Army,” Panag said. He, however, maintained that the Army remains apolitical.

The Election Commission also took cognizance of Adityanath’s remarks and sought a report from Ghaziabad district administration in this regard.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)