Amarinder Singh. Tribune file photo

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 10

Even as he welcomed the Election Commission directive against use of pictures relating to defence personnel for election propaganda or campaigning, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday said there should be no attempts to use the armed forces for political gains.

Earning brownie points through politicisation of forces was as wrong as using photographs of defence personnel to take political mileage, the chief minister said in a statement issued here.

The Election Commission had on Saturday issued an advisory to all national and state political parties of the country, asking them to refrain from display of photographs of defence personnel or photographs of functions involving defence personnel in advertisements, or otherwise as part of their election propaganda/campaigning’.

“It was good that the EC had taken note of the shameful practice of using such photographs for electoral gains, especially in the wake of the recent IAF air strikes across the LoC,” Captain Amarinder said, urging political parties to desist also from any attempt to politicise the forces.

“The armed forces are above all petty considerations such as caste, religion or political affiliations and need to be kept so if India is to remain an independent sovereign power,” the Chief Minister said. “Any political interference in the functioning of the forces would be highly detrimental to the security and the larger interest of the nation and its people.”