Gurugram, The October 21 Assembly elections in Haryana are now intensifying with both the ruling and the opposition parties taking potshots at each other.
The latest is a tussle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) that broke out after the arrest of the latter’s candidate and ex-BSF constable Tej Bahadur Yadav on Wednesday.
Tej Bahadur was arrested on Wednesday in Jhansi where he had gone to protest against the alleged fake encounter of Pushpendra Yadav by the Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday.
Tej Bahadur came into the limelight after he criticised the quality of food served to the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on duty. He made a video a couple of years ago which went viral on social media following which he was sacked from the BSF on disciplinary grounds.
He had also filed his nomination for contesting the Lok Sabha elections against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi on a Samajwadi Party ticket. However, his candidature was cancelled.
He is now contesting against Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar from Karnal on a JJP ticket in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Prominent JJP leader Amandeep Chawla said that his arrest pointed at the political vendetta being used by the BJP to target its opponents.
“The news of Tej Bahadur contesting the Karnal seat has rattled Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. He is feeling the heat of the popularity and support Tej Bahadur has been getting while campaigning. Hence, he is using the government machinery against him,” Chawla said.
“Tej Bahadur was arrested at a time when he was protesting against the alleged fake encounter of Pushpendra Yadav which took place in Jhansi district. He was sitting on a peaceful dharna when the police arrested him,” Chawla said.
“Tej Bahadur, a resident of Mahendragarh in Haryana, is fighting against corruption in the country and is not satisfied with the policies of the ruling party, especially with regard to the defence services,” Chawla added.
