Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa on Friday issued a clarification after a video featuring his son, Ashu Bairwa, went viral on social media where the teenager can be seen driving an SUV alongside his friends, with two police vehicles providing an escort.
The video, which also features Congress leader Pushpendra Bhardwaj's son, Kartikeya, has sparked concerns over the potential misuse of VVIP privileges and violations of traffic regulations.
Speaking to reporters, Prem Chand Bairwa, also a BJP leader, said that his child, who studies in senior secondary and is a minor, is being questioned only because his father is the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan.
"My son studies in senior secondary and those with him in the viral video are his school friends. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for entrusting me with the role of Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan. It was only because of my position that wealthy people offered my son a ride in their car, and out of curiosity, he accepted. He is a kid and not even 18-years-old at the moment," Deputy Chief Minister said.
When asked about police vehicles escorting the SUV driven by Ashu, Bairwa said that the cops were following the car just for the security of his child.
"The police vehicle was simply following the car for my child's safety, it was not serving as an escort. People should avoid making misleading assumptions. However, if they choose to, they are free to express their opinions. I hold no blame against my child in this matter," the minister said.
In the viral video, Ashu is seen driving a car with its roof down, accompanied by his friends, seemingly enjoying the pleasant weather. The clip gained attention after Kartikeya Bhardwaj shared it on Instagram, captioning it with, "Raajneeti ho ya sadak, hum har jagah apni chal chalate hain" (Whether it's politics or the streets, we always make our move).
What caught people's eye was the fact that the joyous ride was escorted by two police vehicles -- one in front of the car and the other in behind. However, it remains unclear when and where the video was recorded.
