New Delhi: Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman welcomed seven retired officers of the armed forces, including two former deputy chiefs of Army staff, to the BJP on Saturday.

The Army veterans joined the party in presence of the defence minister, who said that induction of such senior ex-servicemen who have served the nation will benefit the BJP. 

"They can guide on policies on nation security and nation-building," she told reporters here.

Lt Gen JBS Yadav and Lt Gen S K Patyal, ex-deputy chiefs of the army staff, joined the party.

"Ex-soldiers, too, want to serve the country. We may have retired but we are not tired," Yadav told reporters here. He said the country is in "safe and able hands" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Also read: Women can now join Indian Army as military police, registration open till June 8

The former director general of military intelligence Lt Gen R N Singh, former director general of army's information services and IT Lt Gen Sunit Kumar, and Lt Gen Nitin Kohli, who has served as the signal officer-in-chief at the Army headquarters also joined the party. 

Colonel RK Tripathi, who has served as judge advocate general corps headquarters, and Wing Commander (retd) Navneet Magon, a former Air Force medical services doctor, also joined the BJP.