Free pilgrimage tour for youngsters registering as voters: BJP MLA Ram Kadam

A video of Ram Kadam, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Ghatkopar, has surfaced in which he can be seen offering free pilgrimage visits to the Tirupati temple and meetings with Bollywood celebrities, among other things, to youngsters in return for registering their names in the electoral list.

Kadam shared the video on his Twitter account and tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the election commission of India, among others. His objective was to encourage the youth to vote, he said in the video.

Kadam did not respond to HT’s calls or text messages till the time of going to press.

Nationalist Congress Party MLA Jitendra Awhad, who also shared the video on Twitter, said “If so many offers are being made only for registering as a voter, one can only assume what will be offered in exchange for votes.”

Kadam, in the video, said, “I will arrange visits for all my friends who want to watch movie shootings and have completed 18 years. I will help them meet Bollywood celebrities as well. I will take them on the pilgrimage to Tirupati temple...But you all are my young friends and will be given priority. I will also arrange training to learn bike-riding and car-driving,” he said.

“My only objective is to encourage and inspire you. So, all those who register in the electoral list can inform my office and I will arrange everything I have promised just now,” Kadam said.

The state BJP unit has refused to comment on the video. Madhav Bhandari, state BJP spokesperson said, “I have not seen the video so it won’t be possible for me to react to it.”

First Published: Oct 14, 2018 13:21 IST