The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wrote a letter to Election Commission (EC), in cognisance of the viral video that shows a group of young boys chanting swear words for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in front of Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
The action by the child rights body NCPCR came hours after the video went viral wherein Congress General Secretary can be seen smiling as young children chanted for the Indian National Congress dissing the central government.
The kids were sloganeering: “Chowkidar Chor Hai (Watchman is the thief).”
In the letter, the child rights body has objected to the use of children in election campaigns. It also highlighted that the Bombay High Court had ruled in an order on August 4, 2014, clearly mentioning that children should not be made a part of the election campaign in any way.
On Wednesday, Priyanka was in Amethi to seek support for her brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. It was during this campaign she came across a group of school children, who seeing her started clapping and sloganeering.
Priyanka first laughed as she enjoyed the enthusiasm expressed by children for the party, however, she was taken aback as kids started abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It was then when she stopped kids from further using swear words and said, “Ye wala achcha nahin hai. Achche bachche bano aur achcha bolo. (This one is not good. Become good kids and speak good).”
The clip went viral on social media within no time.
Textile Minister and BJP candidate from Amethi Smriti Irani also shared the video and expressed her discontentment towards opposition for using abusive language and children to launch a scathing attack on PM Modi.
“Uncouth to the core. Imagine the filthiest of abuses that a Prime Minister has to endure from people whose only claim to fame is a nose. Lutyens outrage anyone?” Smriti Irani tweeted.
In an exclusive interview to NDTV on Thursday, Priyanka Gandhi mentioned that she had “stopped” children from raising abusive slogans.
“I’m sorry but I stopped children from saying slogans which I thought were not correct about the Prime Minister,” Priyanka Gandhi told the media giant.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also accused her critics of “twisting the truth” by circulating an edited clip and not the full video.
Stay tuned for more updates!
