EC Initiates Action Against School for Using Children in Gadkari’s Poll Campaign
MUMBAI: The Election Commission of Maharashtra has initiated an action against a school in Nagpur for the use of school children for the election campaign of BJP candidate Nitin Gadkari. However, the Congress has demanded that action should also be taken against the union minister for the alleged violation of the model code of conduct.
Acting on the complaint filed by Maharashtra Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe, the EC officials summoned the director and principal of NSVM Fulwari School in Vaishali Nagar, Nagpur, for the hearing.
“It was found that the use of school children to welcome Nitin Gadkari during the election campaign was uncalled for and directives have been issued to education officer (secondary) to take action against the school director Murlidhar Pawanikar as per the rules in this regard,” said the EC official.
While welcoming the EC decision, Londhe demanded that Gadkari should also be punished for the alleged violation of the model code of conduct. “It is a welcome move that the EC, taking note of our complaint, has asked to take action against the school director. But it has not acted against Gadkari and the BJP, who pressurised the school to call school children for the election campaign,” Londhe said.
The Congress leader, on April 3, had written a letter to the State Election Commission demanding immediate action against BJP and its candidate for Nagpur constituency Nitin Gadkari for alleged violation of the model code of conduct.
In the letter, he complained that Gadkari has violated the code of conduct by using school children for election campaign, despite clear directive of the Election Commission not to use children for election-related programmes.
Londhe said, students of NSVM Phulwari High School, on April 1, had participated in Gadkari’s campaign rally from 12 noon to 1 pm in Vaishali Nagar area of Nagpur city, which was a blatant disregard for the law.
“The use of children in political campaigning not only violates the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, as amended in 2016, but also goes against the judiciary’s directives, including a 2014 order by the Bombay High Court. Such actions by political parties not only undermine the integrity of the electoral process but also jeopardize the rights, privacy and future of the children involved,” he wrote in the letter.
