EC warns Naqvi for 'Modi Ji Ki Sena' remarks

The Election Commission on Thursday warned Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi for referring to Indian Army as "Modi Ji Ki Sena" (the Army of Prime Minister Narendra Modi) while speaking at a rally in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Jaya Prada at Rampur in Uttar Pradesh.

The poll-panel warned Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Minority and asked him "to desist from using the references to defence forces for political propaganda". It also advised him "to be careful in the future".

The EC had earlier cautioned another BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for making a similar remark.

Naqvi called the armed forces as "Modi Ji Ki Sena" in a veiled reference to Indian Army's September 2016 strikes on terror camps across its Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan as well as the recent strikes carried out by Indian Air Force on a training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) at Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

He highlighted the strikes as achievements of the BJP-led Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The EC had issued a notice to Union Minister on April 5. The EC conveyed to him that his statement did not seem to be in line with the spirit of the multiple advisories of the Commission. Naqvi in his reply to the EC's notice admitted to using the phrase "Modi Ji Ki Sena".

The poll-panel had on March 9 re-issued its December 4, 2013 advisory, calling upon the political parties "to desist from displaying photographs of defence personnel or photographs of functions involving defence personnel in advertisements, or otherwise, as part of their election propaganda or campaigning".

It had on March 19 issued a new advisory stating that the political parties should also "desist, as part of their election campaigning, from indulging in any political propaganda, involving activities of the defence forces".