Uttarakhand would never support a party aiming to tie hands of armed forces: Yogi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday accused the Congress of playing into the hands of anti-national and separatist forces by releasing a poll manifesto which promises to end the anti-sedition law and dilution of AFSPA. Addressing a rally here in support of the BJP candidate for Nainital, Ajay Bhatt, Yogi described Uttarakhand as the land of brave soldiers, who are ever-willing to sacrifice their lives for the country.

Yogi said Uttarakhand would never support a party whose objective was to tie the hands of the armed forces and weaken them. He said the Congress' poll manifesto bore proof that the party had pledged its conscience to anti-national and separatist forces. "By saying that it would revoke the anti-sedition law and dilute AFSPA, the Congress has made it clear that it is playing into the hands of anti-nationals," the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. He said support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi was pouring from all sides and the call for "Modi as PM again" was reverberating across the country.

(With inputs from agencies.)