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Soni Mishra
Soni Mishra

ASSEMBLY POLLS

Commanders Conference is violation of MCC: U'khand CM

PTI5_5_2016_000281A [File] Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat accused Modi of using armed forces for political advantage | PTI

Harish Rawat says PM Modi seeks political advantage by attending the conference

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to gain political advantage ahead of the Assembly elections in the state by taking part in the Annual Commanders Conference to be held in Dehradun on January 21.

Rawat said in a press conference in Delhi that the state Congress has petitioned the Election Commission against the meeting being held in Uttarakhand while the Model Code of Conduct is in force.

"As per the well publicised instructions of the Election Commission, neither the state government nor the Centre can call a meeting of officials that can influence the voter," Rawat said, claiming that the holding of the conference ahead of the elections was intended to have an impact on voters in Uttarakhand.

He said the objections of the Congress were based on facts and logic. "It is well known that the BJP is projecting Modi's face in these elections. And this conference will be televised and widely publicised. Modi will attend the conference and this can influence the voter," Rawat said.

The Congress' objections also flow from the fact that Uttarakhand has a big concentration of ex-servicemen as well as serving soldiers.

He also accused Modi of using armed forces for political advantage. This, he said, was an insult to the forces and had hurt their pride.

"The Commanders Conference has always been held in Delhi as a tradition, except for the time it was held at INS Vikramaditya. So, why suddenly the Centre has thought of holding the conference in Dehdradun?," he asked.

Rawat further said that if the government was keen on setting a new trend, it would have been better if it held the conference in a border area or in Jammu and Kashmir, and it would have enthused the forces.

"Why could the conference not be held in Pathankot or Uri, which have been hit by terrorists? It would have sent out a strong message," he said.

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Topics : #Uttarakhand

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