Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has filed a complaint against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Chief Sukhbir Singh Badal with the Election Commission (EC). The ruling party in Punjab has accused the SAD president of violating Model Code of Conduct regulations by making a child raise slogans in favour of his party during election campaigning.
The complaint was lodged on Tuesday and submitted to the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C by an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) delegation led by state Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.
In the complaint, Cheema alleged that Badal made the child raise slogans of 'Shiromani Akali Dal Zindabad' and 'Vote for Akali Dal' during his 'Punjab Bachao Yatra' at Raikot on April 6.
Cheema said the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief passed the microphone to the child and asked him to address the gathering. He said that Badal's action was a clear-cut violation of the directions of the Election Commission, which in its February 5 letter, had refrained the political parties from using children in election campaigns.
Cheema also said the Election Commission should take the strictest possible action against the Shiromani Akali Dal president to set an example.
The AAP leader also said it also a violation of the mandate of the judgment of the Bombay High Court in its Order dated 4th August 2014 (Chetan Ramlal Bhutada vs State of Maharashtra and others) which stressed the need to ensure that political parties do not allow participation of minor children in any election-related activities.
Slamming the SAD, Cheema called Badal's 'Punjab Bachao (Save Punjab) Yatra' as 'Parivar Bachao (Save family) Yatra' and alleged that when the Akalis were in power, they "looted" the state and created many "mafias." "Now when people see them for who they are, they have been rejected.
To save their family's political career Badal is doing this 'yatra' where he does not even follow proper guidelines or laws," Cheema alleged.
The AAP delegation comprised party leader Harchand Singh Barsat, party candidate from Anandpur Sahib Malvinder Singh Kang, and Tarunpreet Singh Sondh.
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