As the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh prepares for the electoral test, it’s the students who are answering questions like “who is providing free books and uniforms?” If students do not answer appropriately, they are prompted to name the Chief Minister, the BJP and the party’s symbol. Then they are asked to share this knowledge with their parents, with a condition to vote only for the BJP.

But the BJP’s quest to spread “general knowledge” misfired on Wednesday when the Opposition Congress submitted a CD to the chief electoral officer, showing BJP leaders subjecting students of a government higher secondary school in Bairagadh to a test that began with a question on naming the CM and ended with a vote appeal to parents.

PCC chief Suresh Pachauri has demanded action against state BJP president Narendra Singh Tomar and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for misuse of schools to carry out their election campaign. A delegation of the Congress also visited Bairagadh police station with a request to register a case against BJP leaders. “Using free books and uniforms as carrots to persuade parents to vote is illegal,” Congress spokesman Manak Agrawal said.

The Congress had one more reason to feel aggrieved. A major chunk of the money for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a flagship scheme that aims to universalise primary education, comes from the Central kitty.

“Besides campaigning in schools they are spreading misinformation,” Pachauri said. The CD shows general secretary of the party’s traders’ unit Prakash Mirchandani, Bairagadh unit president Ramesh Jariani and local leaders quizzing the children.

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