Young MPs march for malnourished children

New Delhi: If hunger was darkness, lighting a candle would help. This time around when a candlelight march was held, it was not for Bhopal gas victims or Narmada oustees or even Greenpeace activists vying for a eco-friendly world.

It was the turn of Members of Parliament, cutting across party lines, to light candles at India Gate.

In a stunning reversal of roles, they who should be accountable are instead seeking accountability — questioning their own policies and delivery systems in a symbolic admission of collective failure.

MP and NCP leader, Supriya Sule said, "We want to prove that our systems can work."

More than 100 MPs also signed a resolve which they submitted to President Pratibha Patil, expressing their commitment to fighting hunger.

Congress MP Sachin Pilot said, "The Speaker and the President have lauded our initiative."

The journey bagan a year ago, when the core group of MPs travelled to the hunger zones in Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Maharashtra.

In these places, they saw it all — crumbling anganwadis and daily meals for children that varied between cornpuffs and a spoonful of porridge.

It was then, upon seeing the dismal conditions that children lived in in India, that these young turks of Parliament started questioning themselves — what have they achieved?

BJD MP, Jay Panda said, "

Forty-seven per cent of all children under the age of six are malnourished. They struggle to stay alive like candles in the wind and the sad truth is that a problem so severe needs much more than a candlelight vigil.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)