Donned khadi to serve people better, says ex-ED officer

Lucknow: Changing his uniform from khaki to khadi, former Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer Rajeshwar Singh, who is in the poll fray from the BJP, says he joined politics as working for the people as a bureaucrat posed several restrictions. The former high-profile officer hardly found any time to learn the nuances of politics as the BJP nominated him as a candidate from Sarojini Nagar in Lucknow, days after the government accepted his plea for Voluntary Retirement from Service.

The Sarojini Nagar Assembly constituency will go to polls in the fourth phase on February 23 along with other constituencies of Lucknow. Wasting no time, the ex-cop donned the role of "neta ji" and found himself campaigning from door-to-door in the constituency. "I was a police officer. It was something very dear to me, but I have now chosen politics. I want to work in such a manner that I don't regret my decision of leaving the force," he told PTI during the campaign trail.

Speaking further, Singh said, "There are several restrictions when you are in a job. That is why I decided to join politics. This will enable me to work for the common people on a wider platform." The BJP chose Singh for the Sarojini Nagar seat over state minister Swati Singh and her husband Dayashankar Singh, the BJP State vice president, both of whom were eyeing for a ticket from this constituency. Rajeshwar Singh was found greeting voters with folded hands seeking their support.

If a voter raised a complaint or a query, Singh made it a point to hear him out. Asked why he chose the BJP, Singh said, "The BJP is the only party that functions democratically. You can grow in BJP based on your hard work. "The Congress, BSP and the SP have been reduced to parties of families. There is no democracy in these parties and the entire party machinery works only for the development of a particular family. The BJP works on the principle of nation first and is a nationalist party." Singh joined the Uttar Pradesh Police in 1996 after completing B.Tech from IIT-Dhanbad and had been posted as a circle officer in many parts of Lucknow.

A Ph D in police, human rights and social justice, Singh joined the ED, a central investigation body that probes cases of money laundering and foreign exchange violation crimes, in 2007 on deputation. "I know Lucknow and its problems very closely. I believe that my experience as a police officer will benefit me greatly in working for the development of the city," said Singh, who has handled several high-profile cases in the ED.

These include the 2G scam, Sahara case, VVIP choppers case and the Aircel-Maxis deal case. Singh was also part of the investigations into the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the money laundering cases against former Union finance minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda.

The cop-turned-politician says his learning will benefit him in politics intricately. "As a police officer, you develop a way of looking at things and solving problems. In Sarojini Nagar, too, although a lot of work has been done in the past five years, a lot still needs to be done for its development," he said. "The Sarojini Nagar constituency is unique in a manner as it has high-end housing societies as well as farming villages. I will have to strike a balance where we will develop the infrastructure without trampling over the requirements of our villages.

"I also want to focus on the youth of Sarojini Nagar and work to provide them avenues of employment and better job training and guidance," he said. Meanwhile, to assuage Dayashankar Singh's sentiments, the BJP has fielded him from Ballia. Rajeshwar Singh began his campaign by meeting Swati Singh in an effort to iron out differences. Since then, he has tried to draw closer the influential Kshatriya voters in the constituency.

To counter him, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Abhishek Mishra, a trusted lieutenant of the party chief Akhilesh Yadav from Sarojini Nagar. The SP is believed to have fielded Mishra to lure the Brahmin voters in Sarojini Nagar, who are reportedly miffed with the BJP. Singh, for his part, has tried to counter this move by getting close to Brahmin leaders in the area.