NEW DELHI: From Kathua rape victim lawyers to prominent child rights activists and constitutional experts, the Congress looks to get on board a group of people to expand its Jawahar Bal Manch. It is a platform to reach out to children in the 7-18 age group. The idea is to inculcate constitutional values in them and and sensitise them about the diversity, equality of the country and secularism.
The Jawahar Bal Manch (JBM) under national chairman Dr GV Hari is looking to have a pan-India presence to engage with children with focus on propagating constitutional values. The grand party has already approached Dipika Singh Rajawat, lawyer of the Kathua gangrape victim’s family, child rights activists and cons-titutional experts with pedagogical background to join in. The idea is to propagate the values of India among the kids , with imagination, fun, and spreading love being its core.
The patron membership has been launched in three states — Kerala, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh — and work has started to appoint state-level and district-level leaders and coordinators. The party has also launched a publication called The Buds. The January issue of the publication is based on the theme ‘India imagined by the Constitution’. Chhattisgarh has been chosen as a pilot state. The programme will be expanded to other Congress-ruled states.
“The focus is to get good people on board to take forward the idea. It is a long-term project and for the next one or two years, the focus will be on building a team across the country. We are also in the process of preparing a curriculum for training, with focus on the constitution, constitutional values, and the history of India,” Hari told this newspaper.
Jawahar Bal Manch is a successful organisation in Kerala and MP Jothi Mani has been associated with it since 2012. Ramya Haridas, another young MP from the state, is a product of Jawahar Bal Manch.