The Congress on Monday submitted before the Election Commission that the complaint filed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was frivolous as there was no misuse of children in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

As the Election Commission issued a notice to the Congress, party’s communications chief Jairam Ramesh said: “We met the members of the Election Commission and informed them that no violation of the Representation of People's Act was done during Bharat Jodo Yatra. We fail to understand why Election Commission has given us a notice on the complaint of NCPCR.”

The Congress lodged a counter-complaint, giving evidence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi using children for political purposes. The Congress also asked the commission not to entertain such petitions as its prime responsibility was to conduct elections and there was no election taking place now.

The NCPCR had complained to the Election Commission about the misuse of children as political tool in the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and demanded an inquiry. It said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and non-government organisation Jawahar Bal Manch were targeting children with political intentions and getting them involved in political activities.

The NCPCR had said it had received a complaint saying that many disturbing images and videos had been circulating on social media wherein it could be seen that children were being targeted and were made to participate in this campaign with a political agenda under the slogan “Bharat Jodo Bacche Jodo”. It said that the children participating in the campaign were seen holding Congress party flags and shouting political slogans.