NEW DELHI: Over 150

, including eight former chiefs, in a letter to President

, expressed concern over "politicisation of the armed forces" on Friday.

In the letter, the veterans objected to politicians "taking credit" for military operations, pictures of party workers wearing military uniforms and political posters with pictures of soldiers, especially of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

The 156 signatories include eight former service chiefs - General Sunith Francis Rodrigues, Shankar Roy Chowdhury Deepak Kapoor, Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas, Vishnu Bhagwat, Arun Prakash, Suresh Mehta and Air Chief Marshal NC Suri.

The veterans also expressed concern over Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath referring to the armed forces as "Modiji ki Sena" during an election campaign rally.

Addressing a public rally in Ghaziabad on April 1, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath had referred to the

as "Modi ji ki sena" while drawing a comparison between the steps taken by the BJP-led central government against terrorism and the previous Congress government.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had issued a censure to Adityanath over his remark.

They said though complaints have elicited a prompt response from Election Commission, yet they have failed to bring about any substantive change of behaviour and practice on the ground.

The veterans added that they believe that in the wake of the Lok Sabha polls such incidences are only going to increase.

"We believe that you will surely agree that any such misuse of the Armed Forces established under the Constitution of India and under the supreme command of the President of India, would impinge adversely on the morale and fighting efficiency of the serving man and woman in Uniform," the letter said.

The veterans said that such incidence can mar the national security and integrity and urged the President to help preserve the "secular and a-political" character of the Armed Forces.

The Congress reacted to the veterans' letter by saying that it was clear that the soldiers were with India.

"Modi may try to use soldiers for votes, but it's clear that soldiers stand with India and not the BJP. 156 Veterans of the

including 8 former Chiefs of Staff write to the President of India urging him to act against Modi for trying to use soldiers for votes," said a tweet from the Congress' official Twitter handle.

Top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah have been citing the Balakot operation and the 2016 surgical strikes in their election rallies to underline the NDA government's ability to take tough decisions on national security.

(With inputs from agencies)