Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has demanded that a sedition case be registered against his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath for calling the armed forces 'Modi ji ki sena'.
"Yogi ji is saying this is Modi sena. There should be a case of sedition registered against Yogi ji. If someone criticises the government, the person is immediately called anti-national. But who is the anti-national...The (UP) Chief Minister says 'Modi ji ki sena hai'' (Prime Minister Narendra Modi's armed forces). Where do you want to take the country," he told reporters on Sunday.
Gehlot said that while people are proud of the bravery of the armed forces, this is the first time the services are being politicised.
"In Pakistan, the military has ruled repeatedly. However, in our country, we have kept the armed forces away from politics for the last 70 years. This is the first time when attempts are being made to politicise the services. The day the Army starts interfering in the country's internal affair as in Pakistan, what will happen? Our Army does not think that way. It carries out the job of protecting the country," he said.
Addressing a public rally in Ghaziabad on April 1, Adityanath had referred to the armed forces 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.
Later, the Election Commission had issued a censure to Adityanath and had advised the "senior political leader" to be careful.