Action ordered over bringing students to PM Modi’s roadshow
The District Education Officer (DEO) of private schools said an inquiry will be launched soon.
Students present at the roadshow said school authorities instructed them to gather at the Sai Baba Colony junction two hours before the event. This was close to the starting point of the roadshow, which spanned a 4km stretch between Ganga Hospital on Mettupalayam Road and the head post office in R.S. Puram.
Coimbatore Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati had responded to The Hindu’s post on social media platform X regarding the matter, stating, “We have taken cognisance of the issue and the Assistant Returning Officer has sought reports from the respective departments. Suitable action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry.”
Inquiries were then initiated by the Joint Commissioner of the Labour Department and the Chief Education Officer, aiming to scrutinise the involvement of children and the role of BJP members in having the children stage artistic performances during the campaign.
Chief Education Officer (CEO) M. Balamurali had said: “We have initiated an investigation. Prior to the event, all schools were explicitly instructed to abstain from such practices.”
ARO P. Suresh, speaking to The Hindu, confirmed these practices violate the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). “Once the inquiry is concluded, reports will be forwarded to the Election Commission for further action,” he said.
DMK’s complaint
The DMK submitted a complaint to the Election Commission of India against the BJP, stating that the national party had “used children for electionrelated works” and sought a probe into the matter.
The complaint, made by DMK Organisation Secretary R.S. Bharathi and addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), alleged that “children aged below 12 to 15” were involved in the BJP’s campaigning activities. “The children were made to wear clothes with the BJP insignia and recite poems.” They were “made to wear saffron robes” and stand in queue, carrying BJP flags during the road show, it said.
In another complaint to the CEO, the DMK said remarks made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman amounted to “hate speech with unverified allegations” that created “religious feeling for securing votes in favour of her party.”