Probe ordered after UP MLA’s BJP membership drive in school

Saiyadraja MLA Sushil Singh, who visited the National Inter College on Tuesday, offered saffron scarves to minor students. Pictures of the incident showed the students with BJP scarves wrapped around their neck.

A group of students had told media on Tuesday that the event was a membership drive. (Representational Image)

A video of a BJP legislator in Uttar Pradesh leading a party membership drive at a school in Chandauli district has gone viral, prompting an inquiry by the district magistrate. Saiyadraja MLA Sushil Singh, who visited the National Inter College on Tuesday, offered saffron scarves to minor students. Pictures of the incident showed the students with BJP scarves wrapped around their neck.

Taking cognisance of the video and pictures, district magistrate Navneet Singh Chahal has ordered an inquiry. District Inspector Of Schools (DIOS) Vinod Kumar Rai has been asked to submit the report by Friday. “Based on the findings of the report, we will be able to tell about the actual facts,” the DM said.

A group of students had told media on Tuesday that the event was a membership drive. They said they wanted to meet the MLA to build a library in the school.

“The MLA was in the school for around an hour. The principal told us that Sushil Singh has promised to provide a library. We were made members of the party,” the students said. Several calls to Singh did not elicit any response.

However, DIOS Rai told The Indian Express on Thursday that the allegation of the membership drive is false and that “the matter is unnecessarily being politicised”.

“The students wanted to try the party scarf and thus a photo was clicked with all the students wearing the scarf with party symbol on it…,” Rai claimed.

BJP district president Sarvesh Kushwaha said the BJP has directed its leaders to conduct membership drives outside educational institutes. Terming Singh’s action unaccetable, he said the matter will be raised in a district party meeting on July 20.

First uploaded on: 19-07-2019 at 01:03 IST

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