Ashok Gehlot
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot suggested on Sunday that his Uttar Pradesh counterpart, Yogi Adityanath, should be booked for sedition for labelling the military as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's army.
"Yogi ji is saying, 'this is Modi sena'. There should be a case of sedition on Yogi ji. If someone criticises the government, the person is directly called anti-national. But the anti-national person is he who, while being the chief minister, says 'Modi ji ki sena' (Modi's army)," Gehlot told reporters here.
At a rally in Ghaziabad on March 31, Adityanath had dubbed the Army "Modi ji ki sena", triggering a political firestorm with the Opposition attacking the Uttar Pradesh chief minister for "insulting and humiliating" the armed forces.
"Where do you want to take the nation? What will happen in the country when soldiers will have their interference here like Pakistan?" Gehlot asked. He said Pakistan had military rule several times, but the defence forces were kept separate from politics in India for the past 70 years.
"Our Army protects the nation and fulfil duties," the Congress leader said, claiming that it was for the first time the armed forces were being politicised.
The Rajasthan chief minister cautioned that the youth should be aware of the political propaganda on social media. "Our countrymen, particularly the youth, should not be misled. Modi and his team are brainwashing youths through social media. If you are misled, this will be dangerous for the country," he said.
Gehlot later addressed a rally in Gangapur city of Sawai Madhopur district and alleged that Modi had won the 2014 Lok Sabha election on false promises.
"He (Modi) promised giving jobs, controlling inflation and others, but all the lies have been exposed. The PM acts like a film star and he should have been in Bollywood instead of being the prime minister," Gehlot added.
