December 18, 2025 11:54 pm (IST)
Follow us:
Modi uses martyr's name to seek votes in Himachal
Palampur, Apr 29 (IBNS): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Tuesday sparked off a controversy by seeking votes and invoking the famous words of Kargil war martyr Captain Vikram Batra, 'Yeh dil maange more' at a rally in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh.
"When we remember Vikram Batra, our heart says: Yeh dil maange more. The same words of Vikram Batra says to me 'Yeh dil maange more.' I want all four seats in Himachal. I want 300 lotuses across India," Modi said.
"You've given them (Congress) 60 years. Can't you give me 60 months? Yeh dil maange more! Give me 60 months," he urged.
He accused the Congress party of not being able to protect the soldiers at the border.
Modi used this phase as Captain Vikram Batra immortalised the words "Yeh dil maange more," the catch-line from an ad campaign, in an interview to NDTV before he died fighting the 1999 Kargil war.
Modi's comment, however, drew criticisms from his mother Kamal Kanta Batra, who is an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from neighbouring Hamirpur.
She has accused the Gujarat CM of being a "pseudo patriot" and has challenged him to a debate on the welfare of soldiers.
"Modi was in charge of the BJP in Himachal during the Kargil war. He was in Palampur when Vikram died. Why didn't he visit us or any martyrs family then. Why remember us after 15 years?" she said in her statement to media.
Captain Batra's father said, "The BJP must not drag his name into politics."
The Batra family also challenged Modi to withdraw the BJP's candidate against the martyr's mother "if he feels so indebted to martyrs."
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
Sikkim Chief Minister creates political record
Sat, May 17 2014
Narendra Modi sweeps India
Fri, May 16 2014
TRS set to form government in Telangana
Fri, May 16 2014
Gujarat NRE Coke congratulates Modi
Fri, May 16 2014
Modi thanks voters for landslide support
Fri, May 16 2014
Modi's role in BJP victory needs to be assessed: Advani
Fri, May 16 2014
Narendra Modi: The Tea-seller Who Earned It
Fri, May 16 2014
PDP bags all 3 seats in Kashmir
Fri, May 16 2014
Rajnath seeks Vajpayee's blessings, heads for Lucknow
Fri, May 16 2014