Schoolchildren at a procession brought out by the CPM to campaign in Okrabari. Picture by Main Uddin Chisti

Cooch Behar, May 4: They wield bamboo lathis adorned with the CPM flag instead of pencils and pens and they mouth political slogans instead of multiples of 12 and 13.

Meet the schoolchildren of the Okrabari gram panchayat area in Dinhata, a seat, which the CPM has been trying to wrest from the Congress for the past one decade. The Left party is desperate this time and has not even spared schoolchildren from campaigning and mouthing slogans like “Inkilab zindabad! Birodhider chamra tule debo amra! CPM zindabad! Jitbe votey kara, kastey haturi tara! (Long live the revolution! We will take the hides off the opposition! Who will win the elections? Definitely the star, hammer and sickle!)

While the parents are not at all pleased at the children playing truant, they are hard put to raise their voices against the CPM. No official belonging to the district primary education cell was willing to say anything.

A senior official in the district administration, on condition of anonymity, said what was happening was not right. “This is a matter of great concern, making children from primary schools take part in the panchayat elections. It is a question of morality,” he said.

But for Javeda Bibi, there are more pressing matters at hand than morality. Ten kilometres from Dinhata town, she is currently immersed in intense campaigning in a village called Raghunandangram.

“The people of this area was not aware of their rights and that is why the Congress has been in control of the gram panchayat. Now they realise that the CPM is the best alternative and that is why they, along with the children, are standing by us,” she said.

“It is always better to campaign with children than with adults. Adults would be reluctant to join the processions leaving behind their daily work. It is easier with children, just a couple of toffees do the trick,” said a local CPM leader.

As for the children, it is fun time. “We like walking from village to village shouting slogans and waving flags. It is fun,” said a student of Class IV of Raghunandan Fourth Plan Primary School.