Chowkidar Tej Bahadur versus Chowkidar Narendra Modi. Bout cancelled. Thanks to the Election Commission!
Damn… I want a full refund.
The Battle for Varanasi was looking to be one-sided. But then, rumours of Priyanka Gandhi buzzed around. Hopes soared. But, that didn’t pan out. Hopes fell. Then, dramatically, former BSF jawan Tej Bahadur was handed the Samajwadi Party ticket.
The whistleblower soldier who famously posted a video about the substandard food served to BSF jawans, that infamously cost him his job, stepped up, describing himself as ‘desh ka asli chowkidar’ ready to do battle with self-styled 'Chowkidar' Narendra Modi. Still a David vs Goliath contest, but a contest at least.
Until the Election Commission crowned itself with un-glory.
Okay... here’s a fact. Section 9 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, allows the Election Commission to reject a candidate’s nomination if he was dismissed from government service on grounds of corruption or disloyalty to the state. Such a person would be disqualified from fighting elections for a period of five years from the date of such dismissal.
So, why was Tej Bahadur sacked? A BSF Summary Security Force Court (SSFC) in Jammu found the constable, serving in the 29th Battalion, guilty of indiscipline.
The SSFC found that Tej “made false allegations on social media regarding the quality of food and did not adhere to formal grievance redressal mechanism in the force. He also carried two mobile phones while on operational duty, which is against BSF’s SOP (Standard Operation Procedure). He also posted photographs in uniform on social media in contravention of instructions.”
On 24 April, Tej Bahadur filed election nomination papers in Varanasi, as an Independent. In a column which asked whether he was dismissed from service due to corruption, he answered ‘yes’. But on 29 April when he refiled nomination papers as an SP candidate, in answer to the same question he said ‘no’.
The Election Commission, perhaps looking for a bone to pick with Tej Bahadur, swooped in on this discrepancy. At 6:15 pm on 30 April, they asked him to submit documents that clarified the matter, giving him time till 11 am on 1 May. Frustratingly, this gave Tej Bahadur just ONE working hour to respond. That is, from 10 am to 11 am this morning. They could have given him the entire day, but quite questionably, they gave him only till 11 am. I really wonder why.
Was it because this is about Varanasi?
And yet, by 11 am, Tej Bahadur claims he had emailed and faxed the required documents to the EC.
BUT, the Election Commission announced that it did NOT get the required documents from Tej Bahadur, and summarily scrapped his nomination.
And our chowkidar vs chowkidar bout is to never happen. EC, playing spoilsport. EC, with a formidable reputation for conducting free and fair elections year upon year, mysteriously allowing that reputation to take a beating.
Something stinks along the ghats of Varanasi… and it's not the holy Ganges.
PS: Point to be noted (by an imaginary milord!) – Tej Bahadur was NOT dismissed on grounds of corruption or disloyalty to the state. Taking kick-backs while awarding a BSF uniforms contract = corruption. Sack him. Ban him from elections.
But that’s not what he did.
Sell BSF secrets to Embassy of Gagaland = disloyalty to state. Sack him. Ban from elections.
BUT… his crime was neither. His was indiscipline. So the clarity sought by the Election Commission was over a ‘non-matter’, nit-picky hair-splitting. Not done.
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