The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights wrote to the Election Commission on Wednesday regarding a video in which children are heard shouting “derogatory remarks and using abusive language” in the presence of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, The Indian Express reported.
The child rights body said it received a complaint which shared the video link showing children participating in election campaigning. The commission cited a letter it had written to the poll body in 2017 and a Bombay High Court order from 2014 asking the Election Commission to ensure children are not involved in election activities.
The video clip showed children shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and supporting Congress President Rahul Gandhi while Vadra was campaigning in Uttar Pradesh.
“Such violation of children’s right for any work connected with election process like campaigning, carrying of campaigning material, etc, would attract necessary action and apart from facing the consequences of the law, if any, will be taken by the commission against erring political parties,” the commission quoted from a letter circulated by the poll body in 2017.
The commission asked the Election Commission to take “necessary action” regarding the video clip.
On Tuesday, Union minister Smriti Irani had retweeted a clip of the video showing the children shouting an abusive slogan against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Vadra’s presence. “Uncouth to the core,” Irani said. “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 ????” The video clip is 12 seconds long, and begins with the children shouting “Chowkidar Chor Hai”. Later in the clip, the children can be heard shouting a slogan calling Modi a pimp. The video clip ends there.
However, the video was clipped and it ends right before Vadra stopped the children from chanting the slogan. “Not this one, this one is not good. Only good ones, okay?” Vadra is heard saying in a longer version of the video clip.
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Fact check: Video in which kids abuse Modi as Priyanka Gandhi looks on has been maliciously clipped
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