BJP under fire over Mersal row

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party came under fire for demanding cuts to an Indian film, claiming it showcased “anti-Modi hatred”.

A scene in the Tamillanguage film Mersal shows a character delivering a fiery monologue in which he attacks the government’s failure to provide free public healthcare despite charging a national Goods and Services Tax of up to 28 per cent.

Mersal had a gargantuan day one opening worldwide, and is reported to have earned `22.5 crore from Tamil Nadu theatres alone.

BJP’s Tamil Nadu president Tamilisai Soundararajan had on Thursday called for deleting the scenes which have reference to the GST and the digital India initiative of the BJP government, Union minister of state Pon Radhakrishnan also backed her demand.

“The film producer should re-move the untruths regar-ding GST from the film. He has assured me the off-ending scenes on GST and Digital India will be removed from the film,” claimed the Union minister.

Though Tamil superstar Vijay hasn’t yet reacted on the Tamil Nadu BJP’s demand for cuts in the movie, superstar, Kamal Haasan, came out in support of the film.

“Don’t silence critics. India will shine when it speaks. Mersal was certified. Don’t re-censor it. Counter criticism with logical response,” Kamal Haasan tweeted, wading into the controversy that erupted after the movie’s release.