DMK has been proving time and again that it is a party without conscience.
The recent proof is that of engaging school children as young as nine years old, for going around the streets and shouting slogans for the DMK for which they are paid Rs 50 a day. The DMK has no dearth of ideas in exploiting the poverty and ignorance of the poor. And now by roping in the kids, the DMK has shown that it has no heart.
It is examination time and when everyone’s concern is on how the kids are going to fare in the exams. Already these kids studying in government schools were deprived of teachers who were deputed for census work. I don’t know why the government is adamant on using the teachers for works such as census enumeration and polling booths. There are numerous unemployed persons waiting in the list of employment exchange. They could be given these jobs. But the government wants to use the government teachers expecting them to become loyal to the party, with scant regard for the welfare of the poor students.
There is no concern for the standard of education in government schools. There is no concern for the plight of the students who are deprived of the teaching staff, And now the DMK has shown that it has no sensitivity to the rights and welfare of students. By luring them to campaign for them for money, they are encouraging child labour which is punishable. The DMK has loads of money and lots of unethical ideas to win the elections. The use of kids is just one facet of the true colors of DMK. This must be challenged and stopped.
-jayasree
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All for Rs 50 - Vote for DMK, campaign Ambur kids
J.Shanmuga sundaram, Vellore
`Catch them young’ has become the mantra of DMK functionaries in Vellore
Well before the party high command finalises the candidates for constituencies, the party loyalists have roped in school-going children, some as young as nine years, to campaign for the party. In the last two days alone, Ambur town has been seeing children in the age group of 9-15 years campaigning for the DMK after school hours. Groups of 10 children go around different parts of the town raising slogans like `Vote for DMK', `Vote for Rising Sun' and `Ungal Vottu Kalaignarukku'.
Parties engage children for campaign and pay them `50. "We are given `50 to raise slogans for the DMK.
We go around 10 streets in our area raising the slogans," said a 14-year-old boy studying in class IX in a government-aided school in the town.
The main reasons for this tactic were that the children were very enthusiastic and are cheap labour. “Once the political parties announce their candidates, you will see more and more children carrying party flags and raising slogans,” said social activists.
Another group of children were found campaigning for the DMK in wards 3 and 14 of Ambur municipality.
"Our ward councillor Rafiq has engaged the children some as young as eight years for the last two days to campaign in our area.
When I asked the boys, they said the councillor gave them `50 each," a ward 3 resident said on condition of anonymity.
Denying it, the councillor said, "I am camping in Chennai with cadres to urge our leaders to field a DMK candidate in the constituency." When I asked the boys, they said the councillor gave them `50 each," a ward 3 resident said on condition of anonymity.
