Karni Sena expels members who announced withdrawal of protests

JAIPUR: A splinter group of the Karni Sena on Saturday suspended its national vice-president for announcing “withdrawal” of an agitation against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnus opus Padmaavat, indicating deep divisions among the Rajput community over the film.

There are at least eight groups that claim to be the real Karni Sena and two of them are spearheading violent protests against the film that they allege distorts history and portrays queen Padmini in poor light.

On Friday, the Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena’s Maharashtra unit said it was withdrawing the protests after some members of the outfit saw the film and found nothing objectionable in it.

The outfit’s national president Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi told reporters that “whoever went to watch the film yesterday did so in their personal capacity” and that the agitation will continue. “We will continue to oppose the film and appeal to everyone not to give credence to rumours,” he said.

Gogamedi was part of Lokendra Singh Kalvi’s Shri Rajput Karni Sena, which is spearheading the protests against the film, but later formed his own Karni Sena. The film, released on January 25, has not been screened in Rajasthan.

The Maharashtra unit had claimed that its members watched the movie on instruction from Gogamedi. “The movie glorifies the valour and sacrifice of Rajput and every Rajput will feel proud after watching the film,” the outfit’s Mumbai leader Yogendra Singh Katar said before he was suspended.

KALVI REITERATED THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE TO OPPOSE THE FILM AND SAID EIGHT BODIES HAVE SPROUTED IN NAME OF THE KARNI SENA IN RECENT YEARS

Kalvi also reiterated that they will continue to oppose the film and said eight bodies have sprouted in name of the Karni Sena in recent years, creating confusion over which group represented Rajputs.

“There are people giving statements on behalf of Karni Sena, but there is only one Karni Sena and our stand is clear that Padmaavat should not have been released,” he said.

Gogamedi also hinted at a reconciliation with the BJP after its loss in the recent Rajasthan bypolls.

“The organisation’s opposition to BJP was till the recent by-election,” Gogamedi said, who barely a week ago had slammed the Centre for not banning the movie. On Saturday, the Karni Sena leader’s tone and tenor towards the ruling party saw a marked shift. “The BJP’s door is still open for all the organisations of us Rajputs,” Gogamedi said. He added that the BJP was their home.