Mumbai: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has assured former Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas that it will take steps to prevent politicisation of India’s armed forces by certain political parties in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls.
It will, for instance, bar the depiction of armaments in materials ( aka propaganda) wooing voters at the hustings. The ECI was responding to an impassioned letter written by Admiral Ramdas on behalf of his erstwhile colleagues and defence services veterans.
In the letter addressed to Sunil Arora, Chief Election Commissioner of India, the Admiral shared his concerns regarding recent instances of the cynical and self-serving misuse of the Armed Forces for political gains, especially in the aftermath of both Pulwama and the strikes in Balakot and the capture and repatriation of Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.
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.”
The Magsaysay Award-winning former Navy Chief has stressed that with the elections due a few weeks from now, 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.”
As a proud veteran of the Armed Forces, Admiral Ramdas said he shares the “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.”
The Admiral had urged the Election Commission to “immediately intervene and send a strong message to the political parties that there should be no misuse of photographs and any other material/reports or other information pertaining to the armed forces for electioneering in any way.
Admiral Ramdas’ letter provides various links and an image of a poster to which a local citizens group raised an objection. He concluded the letter by apprising the EC that “many veterans are duly agitated by these attempts to compromise the integrity and secular nature of the Indian Armed Forces.”
Admiral Ramdas shared the good news of the EC’s response with the packed audience of activists, lawyers, artists, filmmakers and students at the Mumbai Collective day-long assembly on Sunday at the Chavan Centre. On Monday, there was support from an unexpected quarter.
The Shiv Sena slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for using the Army uniform and portraits of soldiers to solicit votes. It probably condones the usage of state apparatus to promote the Modi app which seeks an inordinate amount of permissions from mobile users.
It is interesting to note that Admiral Ramdas’ letter to the EC is the latest expression of his concern about the nation and his ardent desire to keep the ship of state afloat and on an even keel to make safe voyages. After the Feb 14 Pulwama, J&K suicide bombing in which 44 CRPF jawans were martyred, he wrote to the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces, President Ramnath Kovind suggesting steps that the government could take.
In March 2015 Admiral Ramdas urged AAP party leaders “to anticipate and resolve debilitating disagreements and conflicts and stay together and united.” And in March 2002, he penned an open letter to the then chief minister Narendra Modi that the “happenings in Gujarat have completely shaken my confidence in the Government and its capacity to uphold and protect a democratic and secular India.”
