The Tamil Nadu BJP has criticised Chief Minister MK Stalin and his government following reports that school students in a government school in Sivaganga were allegedly made to perform manual labour in preparation for a visit by the state's Sports Development and Youth Affairs Minister, Udhayanidhi Stalin. The incident has sparked outrage, with the opposition accusing the government of exploiting students for event preparations.
BJP National Secretary and Tamil Nadu in-charge, Aravind Menon, expressed his shock over the incident, writing on X (formerly Twitter), "Shocked to hear that government school children in Sivaganga were used in manual labour for preparing for an event to be attended by TN Sports Minister and son of Chief Minister @UdhayStalin."
Menon called on School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi to intervene, questioning whether parents send their children to school to be subjected to manual labour or to study and break the cycle of poverty and social inequality. "Is this your Dravidian Model, where students are made to clean toilets, level grounds, and carry heavy poles?" he added, criticizing the practice of involving students in such activities.
He further questioned the use of funds allocated for school maintenance and event preparations, suggesting that the government's negligence in addressing these violations reflects poorly on the School Education Ministry's administration. "If you can't correct these violations within the school education ministry, why do you hold such a crucial ministerial position? Shame on you, @mkstalin," Menon added.
Reports indicate that around 60 hostel students from a government school in Sivaganga district were allegedly forced to walk barefoot and perform tasks such as leveling the ground, cleaning toilets, and carrying heavy poles in preparation for the minister's visit. The incident has drawn widespread criticism, with allegations of child exploitation being leveled against the state government.