New Delhi, Oct. 13: The CPM today slammed the central government for using Hindutva imagery for the armed forces and Narendra Modi for lacing his political message in a religious idiom, underlining the threat to the secular democratic character of India.

"Thus, the government itself is projecting the armed forces in Hindutva terms and using crass casteist and religious imagery to describe their role. This is dangerous stuff which will corrode the integrity and secular basis of the armed forces," the latest editorial in party mouthpiece People's Democracy said.

People's Democracy is edited by former CPM general secretary Prakash Karat, who had stoked a controversy recently by exonerating the Modi government of fascist tendencies. Karat had argued the Modi government was not "fascist" but "authoritarian".

The editorial pointed out how Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje attended a religious ceremony "Rashtra Raksha Yajna", performed by 21 "patriotic Brahmins", to protect the troops from the enemy and also recalled how defence minister Manohar Parrikar compared the army with "Hanuman" to buttress the charge.

The editorial termed these developments a matter of serious concern and called upon the government not to compromise the integrity and secular basis of the armed forces. "The warning bells are loud and clear. Under the BJP-RSS dispensation, no institution of the State, including the armed forces, are immune from Hindutva subversion," the editorial said and added: "All those who wish to protect the secular democratic character of the Republic should raise their voice and tell the BJP and RSS- Hands off the armed forces."

The editorial also referred to the Prime Minister's Dussehra speech in Lucknow and said the motive to use the religious festival for elections in Uttar Pradesh was clear. "Modi utilised the religious festival to lace his political message in a religious idiom. He started his speech with Jai Shri Ram and talked of fighting terrorism using analogies from the Ramayana. The message was clear - the electoral battle in Uttar Pradesh would be fought by mixing religion with politics and on a strident communal agenda," the edit said.