Presence school children at a protest demonstration has led to a fresh word of words between Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and the Biju Janata Dal(BJD), the ruling and the principal opposition in Odisha respectively.

                   The local unit of the BJD had organised the protest demonstration in Jarsuguda, a town located in the western part of the eastern India state, raising its voice against the large scale mistakes and misleading facts printed in the text books distributed by the state government among school children. A number of state level leaders of the regional outfit were present at the political event.

               The state unit of the BJP strongly criticised the BJD accusing the regional outfit of indulging in illegal and unlawful activities. “It is not permitted under the law to use children for political activities. The principal opposition party and its leaders seem to be having no idea about the law’’, a BJP state spokesperson was heard saying.

                  The BJD leaders, however, defended the decision insisting that the children and their parents participated in the protest demonstration on their own. ‘’We had never invited them to join us. The affected school children had participated in the protest on their own. Teaching activities in schools across the state have been severely affected by the faulty text books supplied by the government’’, said a senior BJD functionary.

                  Independent observers, nevertheless, are of the view that children should not be used for political purposes under any circumstances. All political parties should ensure that. ’’All political parties should come together on this sensitive issue and take a vow that they would not use children in political rallies and demonstrations. It is their duty’’, said an analyst based in Bhubaneswar, the state capital.

            Meanwhile, the Odisha government has directed the crime investigation department or the crime branch of the state police to launch a thorough investigation on the matter. The government’s decision assumed significance because the chief minister of the state, Mohan Majhi while speaking at a public gathering a few days back suspected that misinformation could have been printed in the text books intentionally as part of a conspiracy to defame and tarnish the public image of the BJP government led by him.

           The crime branch has already arrested a senior government official in connection with the case. More similar arrests are on the cards, sources in the investigating agency said.

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