(Image source from: hindi.eenaduindia.com)

Fomer Chief Of Naval Staff, Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas on Thursday urged Election Commission to prevent misuse of Armed forces by political parties of ahead of General Elections due this may.

The letter which was Published by The Citizen, Admiral (Retd) L Ramdas expressed concerns regarding recent instances of using the Armed Forces for political gains, especially in the aftermath of both Pulwama and the strikes in Balakot and the shooting down, capture and repatriation of an Indian Air Force pilot.

“I am sure that you are well aware that the Armed Forces have always prided themselves on belonging to a structure, an ethos and environment which has been both a-political and secular.

With Lok Sabha elections around the corner he said, “It is particularly important that there should not be any misuse of these recent events by any political party to send triumphalist or jingoistic messages which can influence the electorate.”

And it is in this context that as a responsible citizen and a proud veteran of the Indian Armed Forces, I share our collective sense of dismay and deep concern at how some political parties are brazenly pushing their agenda using images, uniforms and other examples, showing pictures of the armed forces with political figures, in public spaces, in media, election rallies and so on.

This is completely “unacceptable” since it has the potential to destroy the very foundations and value system of our armed forces, drawn from the vision, the spirit and intent of the Indian Constitution.

We therefore, urge the Election Commission to immediately intervene and send a strong message to the political parties that there should be no misuse of the photographs as indeed any other material/reports or other information pertaining to the armed forces for electioneering in any way.

Looking forward to immediate action on this matter by the Honourable Election Commission. In the interest of time, I have not circulated this open letter for more signatures, although many veterans are duly agitated by these attempts to compromise the integrity and secular nature of the Indian Armed Forces,”he said

By Sai Kumar