After the Election Commission slapped a notice to Congress after the apex child rights body NCPCR asked to initiate necessary action and inquiry into a complaint against Rahul Gandhi for allegedly "misusing children" in Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra, party MP Jairam Ramesh on Monday said that Gandhi is not asking children to vote for the party.
"We met the members of the Election Commission and informed them that no violation of the Representation of People's Act was done during Bharat Jodo Yatra. We fail to understand why Election Commission has given us a notice on the complaint of NCPCR," Jairam Ramesh said.
"It is being said that children are used for election campaigns which is absolutely untrue," he added.
Few weeks ago, the NCPCR said it is in receipt of a complaint wherein it has been alleged that Gandhi and the Jawahar Bal Manch are targeting children with political intentions and making them to get involved in political activities.
According to the complainant, it has been alleged that "many disturbing images and videos have been circulating on social media wherein it can be seen that children are being targeted and are made to participate in their campaign with a political agenda under the slogan 'Bharat Jodo, Bacche Jodo'," the NCPCR said.
What is Bharat Jodo Yatra?
The Bharat Jodo Yatra started on September 7 and has completed over 500 km, with Rahul Gandhi along with several Congress leaders walking as 'Bharat Yatris' who will complete the 3,570 km journey from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
The Congress will hold a rally in Karnataka's Bellary on October 15.
The Yatra will enter Andhra Pradesh on October 18 and will be in the state till October 21. It will then re-enter Karnataka's Raichur.
The Yatra will take a two-day Diwali break on October 24 and 25 and re-start on October 26 when it will enter Telangana.
Several sub-Bharat Jodo Yatras are also being organised in various states where the main Yatra is not passing through. A sub-Yatra is being held in Jharkhand from Monday, in Odisha from October 31, in Assam from November 1 and in West Bengal from December, among other states.
Before the start of the Yatra, the Congress had invited all like-minded political parties and organizations to be a part of the initiative Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader MK Stalin was present in Kanyakumari at the start of the Yatra. Leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) participated in the Yatra in Kerala.
(with agency inputs)
