Remember The Sacked BSF Jawan Who Complained About Bad Food, He Will Contest Against PM Narendra Modi In Elections

Tej Bahadur Yadav, a former BSF jawan who was removed from service after a video he posted on Facebook, complaining about the poor quality of food served to them courted controversy, has said that he will contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Yadav, a resident of Rewari in Haryana, said he will contest the polls as an independent candidate from Varanasi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be seeking re-election.

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Speaking to Indiatimes, Yadav said several parties had approached him with offers of a seat, but he decided to contest the election as an independent candidate.

"I am an independent candidate. But that doesn't mean that I am alone. A number of political and social groups have already extended their support to me. I want everyone who loves the India security forces to support me in my campaign," he said.

He also said that he will be highlighting the issue of corruption in the forces in his election campaign.

"The issue I want to raise is about corruption. I had faith in PM Modi when I spoke out against the corruption in the security establishment. But he failed me. Despite the Committee on Estimates, headed by Murli Manohar Joshi clearing my name, I was sacked by the BSF for speaking out," he said.

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"My fight is against corruption, not against Modi or any individuals. I want to see India the one envisioned by the likes of Subhash Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh," he added.

Varanasi which will go to polls on May 19 is already turning out to be a crowded battlefield in the general elections. Other than PM Modi, some 111 farmers from Tamil Nadu are also planning to contest from Varanasi. There are also rumors that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra could be the Congress candidate in the seat.

Speaking about his plans, Yadav said he will visit Varanasi soon along with ex-servicemen and farmers across the country.

"I don't have the resources to contest an election. My election will be funded by the people of this country. We will go to each and every household in Varanasi, seeking votes and donations. This will be a campaign with minimal expenditure," he explained.

Yadav who was dismissed from BSF in 2017 has challenged the decision in the court and insisted that there was no indiscipline from his part as alleged.

In May 2017, Yadav had launched his anti-corruption platform called ¡®Pratinidhi Parivar¡¯ for activists to fight the corrupt.