The union decided to lodge a formal complaint after several chowkidars complained to them
A chowkidar union in Punjab has complained to the Election Commission of India (EC) against political parties using and defaming the name of their profession, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The union has stated that people have begun calling them 'chors' (thieves), making it difficult for them to work.
Chowkidar is a sanctioned post under the Village Chaukidari Act of 1870, and comes under the state home department.
Jaswinder Singh Jhande, president of Revenue Chowkidar Society, said they have written against both the BJP and Congress, the report states.
"It is not acceptable to us if some politician uses 'chowkidar' ahead of his/her name, not even PM Narendra Modi," Jhande said, adding that not everyone can be a chowkidar. "Ask us who work the entire night for just Rs 1,250 a month to guard villages in Punjab," he said.
Jhande also said Congress president Rahul Gandhi "cannot call us chor".
"They cannot say 'chowkidar chor hai' because it is degrading our profession. We are not chor, we are imaandaar (honest) who work hard to run our homes," Jhande said, adding that their profession is being used and defamed because of the BJP and Congress' rivalry.
Jhande said they decided to lodge a complaint after several chowkidars complained to the union.
Another report in the newspaper points towards another problem that chowkidars are facing, this time in Jharkhand. According to the report, around 10,000 chowkidars in the state's 24 districts have not been paid their salaries for the past five months, according to Krishna Dayal Singh, president of Jharkhand Rajya Dafadar Chowkidar Panchayat.
"Politicians and government officers get their salaries on time, but think about chowkidars. PM Modi identified himself as a chowkidar, but does he really understand our problems?" Singh asked.
Principal Home Secretary SKG Rahate told the newspaper that allotment of salaries have been issued, but the "whole payment has to be done at the district administration level".
"If there are some special additional funds required, I will have to check," Rahate said.
