Modi got ex-BSF jawan's nomination 'cancelled': Kejriwal
New Delhi, May 1: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi got former BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav's nomination "cancelled" as he was "afraid" to contest against him from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat.
Yadav's nomination as the Samajwadi Party candidate from the seat was rejected Wednesday over "discrepancies" in the two sets of nomination papers submitted by him.
Notices in this regard were sent to him on Tuesday.
"There will be fewer occasions in history when the jawans of a country are compelled to challenge their PM, but this is the first time in history that a PM has been so afraid of a jawan that instead of competing with him, he got his nomination cancelled on technical grounds.
"Modi ji, you are very weak and the country's jawan won," Kejriwal tweeted.
Yadav was dismissed from the Border Security Force (BSF) after he triggered a controversy by uploading a video in which he alleged that poor quality food was being served to jawans.
In the first set of papers on April 24, he had mentioned that he was dismissed from the Border Security Force.
On April 29 he submitted a second set of papers - this time as the Samajwadi Party nominee for the Lok Sabha seat - but did not give out this information.
He was also required to submit a no-objection certificate from the BSF, giving reasons for his dismissal.
Modi is seeking reelection from Varanasi.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Modi, who contested from two seats Varanasi in UP and Vadodara in Gujarat-- had defeated Kejriwal from here. Congress' Ajay Rai finished third.
इतिहास में ऐसे कम मौक़े होंगे जब उस देश का जवान अपने PM को चुनौती देने को मजबूर हो
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 1, 2019
पर इतिहास में ये पहला मौक़ा है कि एक PM एक जवान से इस क़द्र डर जाए कि उसका मुक़ाबला करने की बजाए तकनीकी ग़लतियाँ निकाल कर नामांकन रद्द करा दे
मोदी जी, आप तो बहुत कमज़ोर निकले। देश का जवान जीत गया https://t.co/Bwb9qJEmyf
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
