A legislator of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has stirred controversy by asking children not to eat for two days if their parents don’t vote for him in the coming elections.
The bizarre remarks of the Kalamnuri MLA Santosh Bangar were made during his visit to a zila parished school in the Hingoli district in Maharashtra.
“If your parents don’t vote for me in the next election, don’t eat for two days,” Bangar was seen telling the school kids in Marathi. A video of the incident has also gone viral on social media.
Bangar later made the children repeat the same statement that they would say in front of their parents about whom to vote for in the next elections.
Addressing students of Zilla Parishad school, Bangar told the kids that if their parents question their refusal to eat, they should say, “vote for Santosh Bangar, only then will we eat”.
The remarks of the Shiv Sena MLA came less than a week after the Election Commission issued stringent directives against the use of children in poll-related activities.
According to the poll body, children are prohibited from being used for political campaigning to gain votes and it violates certain provisions of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986.
Bangar is known for his shocking remarks and actions, which have been the subject of much controversy in the past. Last month, he said he would hang himself if Narendra Modi did not return as Prime Minister after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
OPPOSITION HITS OUT AT LEADER
Bangar’s remarks have prompted leaders from the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP to seek action against him.
NCP-SP spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, “What Bangar told the school children goes against the directive of the Election Commission, therefore, strict action must be taken against him. He is a repeat offender and goes scot-free as he is an ally of the BJP. The Commission must act against him without prejudice.”
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar sought action by the Election Commission against Bangar and also wondered if the state education minister was sleeping when an MLA of his party was making such remarks to school children.
(With inputs from agencies)