Jaya episode: A shot that went astray

What caused the Election Commission of India to disqualify Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan from membership of the Rajya Sabha is the question doing the rounds here.

On the face of it, Bachchan is above reproach. The UP Film Development Council (UPFDC) is a council, not a corporation, which means it is a society that has no funds of its own.

"There are only two officials in the council, the joint secretary and the director information, who are both on deputation from the UP information department. We (UPFDC) have no budgetary allocation and the events we hold are all sponsored by private sector entities. We can only pay travel allowance (TA) to those who attend the meetings. It is a purely advisory body which recommends policy to the government. None of the non-government members draw a salary from the council," said Razala Zaigum, joint secretary of the council.

But, she added, a body called Film Bandhu, which processed information from the council, did have a budgetary allocation. Though the UPFDC has no money of its own, every year, it provides scholarships of Rs 25,000 to 10 students enrolled in the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, with the money drawn from the state government.

Three students from the state selected by Satyajit Ray Film Institute, Kolkata, are also provided a scholarship of Rs 25,000. Students of Lucknow-based Bhatkhandey Natya Academy who are selected for a three-month course at FTII, Pune, are also provided scholarship by the council.

Jaya Bachchan was appointed chairperson of the UPFDC by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on October 10, 2003.

The chairperson and members of the council were entitled to air fare for attending meetings of the council in Lucknow, besides food and accommodation expenses. Information department sources said Bachchan never claimed air fare or refund for other expenses.

Apart from her, UPFDC included noted film directors like Subhash Ghai, Rajkumar Santoshi, Karan Johar, Govind Nihlani and Muzaffar Ali. Other members were Trigmanshu Dhulia, Kamlesh Pandey, and P K Nair. This is besides a representative of the Federation of Film Societies of India. The chief secretary of UP is its co-chairman.

Nearly ten months after being made UPFDC chairperson, Jaya was elected to the Rajya Sabha on a Samajwadi Party ticket. Madan Mohan Shukla, a Congress leader from Kanpur, had filed nomination papers as a Congress candidate. Shukla's nomination papers were rejected by the returning officer.

He challenged the rejection in the Allahabad High Court but failed to get any relief. In 2005, he filed a complaint with the Election Commission, which triggered a political avalanche and he is now set to go down as the man who forced his leader Sonia Gandhi to quit her Lok Sabha seat.