PALAKKAD: Minister R Bindu on Thursday said that school students are not forced to participate in Navakerala Sadas and they they come of their own free will. "Students will be interested in coming to the function where the Chief Minister and Ministers will be present. The CM is like their best friend. There is a situation where children even say that they want to be like Pinarayi grandpa.", R Bindu said.
The minister's response after the High Court took a strict stand against the participation of students in the Navakerala Sadas. The High Court had earlier banned children from participating in the programme. The court was irked by the fact that the students were made to take part in the event despite this. Commenting on this ,Justice Devan Ramachandran said that participation of school children is serious and said that politics should not be instilled in the minds of the children. The court has asked the government to inform the further steps taken by the government in this regard.