As the Rajasthan state assembly election come closer and campaigning on in full swing, a BJP candidate from the Sojat assembly seat has made a disturbing claim. The candidate, Shobha Chouhan, promised the people of her constituency that she would ensure that police cannot intrude in child marriages if she comes to power.
We have 'satta'
and 'sangathan' at our disposal. We won't let the police intervene in child marriages
Speaking at a Sneh Sammelan at the Peepaliya Kala region in Sojat, Chouhan heard that members of the Dewasi community hold child marriages, due to which the police takes action against them. To win over the voters, Chouhan assured the people present at the gathering that she will hold back police interference during child marriages.
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"We have 'satta'
A video of the candidate declaring this at the public event went viral on social media and has become the centre of criticism from across the board, and rightfully so. Instead of educating people against the evil of child marriage, she became complicit to the illegal activity just to win votes!
While several NGOs and state initiatives are functioning to eradicate the custom of child marriage from the state, here is a political figure who, a bid to win the election, is ready to cover up a crime like child marriage. Is this how the government wants to implement 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' in the state by marrying off the daughter before she even finishes elementary education? This is a serious concern and authorities must deal with it in the same way.