SP fields Tej Bahadur Yadav, ex-BSF jawan who complained of food quality, against Modi in Varanasi

In 2017, a video featuring Yadav in army fatigue went viral after he alleged that poor quality food was being served to security forces serving at the border

BSF food quality, BSF jawan video, DRDO, food assessment, India news, Indian express news

In 2017, a video featuring Yadav in army fatigue went viral after he alleged that poor quality food was being served to security forces serving at the border.

The Samajwadi Party Monday replaced its Varanasi Lok Sabha candidate and gave the ticket to Tej Bahadur Yadav, a former BSF jawan who was dismissed from service in 2017. Yadav has already filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate but will now be contesting on the SP symbol. Earlier, SP’s Shalini Yadav had filed her nomination from Varanasi.

Earlier in March, Tej Bahadur had first expressed his interest to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi.

“I had raised the issue of corruption but I was sacked. My first objective will be to strengthen and eliminate corruption in the forces,” he said.

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In 2017, a video featuring Tej Bahadur in army fatigue went viral after he alleged that poor quality food was being served to security forces serving at the border. He was then serving as a BSF constable of 29 Battalion at Mandi Mandir headquarters and was posted at the administration base in Khet near Line of Control in Poonch district.

The jawan was dismissed from service by the Summary Security Force Court at Samba after he was found guilty of violating the SOP (standard operating procedure) . The charges against him included carrying two mobile phones while on active duty and posting his photographs in uniform on social media.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal lauded Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav for fielding Yadav against Modi from Varanasi.

Lauding the SP chief, Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi, “On one hand there is a person who risked his life for the country and lost his job to fight for the rights of jawans, while on the other hand there is this person who fired a jawan who raised his voice and asks votes over martyred soldiers.”

अखिलेश जी, आपको बहुत बहुत बधाई

PM को चुनौती देने के लिए तेज़ बहादुर को सलाम

एक तरफ़ माँ भारती के लिए जान दाँव पर लगाने और जवानों के हक़ की लड़ाई में अपनी नौकरी गँवाने वाला शख़्स

दूसरी ओर जवानों की आवाज़ उठाने वाले की नौकरी छीनने और जवानों की लाशों पर वोट माँगने वाला शख़्स https://t.co/xRJvJg1maV

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 29, 2019

Varanasi will go to polls in the seventh phase on May 19 and the last date for filing nomination is Monday (April 29).

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