The Congress cannot decide whether it should oppose the release of the film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (ADHM), which features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, or not.
Congress’s Mumbai president Sanjay Nirupam has claimed that his party’s stand is clear: any film that received a certificate from the censor board can be released. However, the grand old party’s Mumbai north-east general secretary Rajesh Ingle on Monday held a protest in Mulund where he opposed the release of the film. Similarly with the BJP, while the chief minister has clearly said that the movie will be released, there are many party workers who are opposing the film.
Mr Nirupam said, “We aren’t opposing the release of ADHM, as it has got a certificate from the censor board. The party’s stand is very clear on this. The actors were here on the visa from the government and the film has a censor board certificate.”
However, when this paper spoke to a completely oblivious Mr Ingle, he said, “The sentiments are against Pakistan and hence we are opposing it. Today we protested against the release of the film.”
He further claimed that people, by boycotting the movie, should make it fail at the box office. “If Pakistan can put a complete ban on Indian films, why can’t we put a ban on it,” said Mr Ingle.
The BJP’s Yuva Morcha had protested earlier against the film in Thane, but the chief minister, who happens to be from BJP himself, sorted the matter out. A senior BJP leader from Mumbai, Vivekanand Gupta is still ranting on social media against the settlement brokered between MNS and producers over the movie’s release. Immediately after the settlement by the chief minister, Mr Gupta had tweeted, “How can one weigh the cost of a soldier ”
Meanwhile, Mr Nirupam has claimed that the settlement brokered by the CM between MNS chief Raj Thackeray and producers is nothing but “khoon ki dalali,” a term that was used by his party vice-president Rahul Gandhi after the army’s surgical strikes on terror launchpads beyond the Line of Control.
