Dehradun, Jan 22 (PTI) India's first CDS Gen Bipin Rawat's brother Col (Retd) Vijay Rawat, who recently joined the BJP, on Saturday said its nationalist ideology had attracted him to the party.

In an informal chat with reporters here, Rawat said health issues had kept him away from social work for a long time but he is now ready to serve the nation and the state through politics.

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It was Rawat's first visit to the state after joining the party in the presence of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in Delhi recently.

He said under the decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many landmark decisions have been taken in the honour of the armed forces , be it 'one rank, one pension' which was pending for decades or modernising the armed forces by equipping it with state-of-the-art Rafael aircraft.

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The prime minister understood the problems of armed force personnel deployed along the borders and equipped them accordingly, he said.

There was a time when the armed forces had to look towards Delhi for permission to retaliate in case of a breach of peace along the borders but now they have the freedom to give a fitting reply to the enemy, he added.

Under his (Modi's) leadership, permanent commission has been given to women in the armed forces, he said.

Uttarakhand shares borders with two countries (China and Nepal) and a vast network of roads is being built in the state under the Bharatmala project to make our borders safe.

Even the practice of honouring martyrs suitably was started by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during the Kargil war, Rawat said.

"Voting for the BJP is the need of the hour to bring development, security and prosperity to the state," he said.

Pradesh BJP spokesperson Suresh Joshi and Badrinath Kedarnath Mandir Samiti president Ajendra Ajay were present on the occasion.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)