Giving a new political twist to the Udta Punjab controversy, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Pahlaj Nihalani has alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party has given money to the makers of the film. Soon after the statement, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal refuted the claims and a war of words started on social media.
Even as on Tuesday, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Twitter asked the Delhi CM to stay out of the controversy and not make it political, Mr. Kejriwal said that Mr. Pahlaj Nihalani had stopped the film on ‘BJP’s instructions’.
The AAP national convenor also claimed that Mr. Nihalani had got the coveted post (censor board chief) not on the basis of his credentials but for his allegiance to the BJP. “Pahlaj Nihlani’s statement makes it amply clear that he has stopped the film on BJP’s instructions,” Mr. Kejriwal said in his tweet. “ Udta Punjab Censored. What else could one expect in Modi regime? What will you eat, say, read, see or say, will be decided by RSS and Modi ji. Very scary. Punjab’s youth has been ruined due to drugs. Punjab’s truth should come in front of everyone,” he said in a series of tweets.
The Abhishek Chaubey-directed movie is in the thick of a censorship row and while its makers are battling with the board, political parties have alleged that Mr. Nihalani acted under the direction of Punjab government.
Earlier in the day, AAP leaders held a press conference to criticise Mr. Nihalani’s move.
Calling Mr. Nihalani a BJP stooge, the AAP claimed that the “BJP was scared of AAP (in Punjab)” and the movie was asked for edits so that the “reality of BJP’s coalition government in Punjab is not exposed.”
AAP leader Dileep Pandey said that Mr. Nihalani himself used to make “third grade films”.
“He considers Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his action hero and is close to the BJP. But for that he would not even have been in the censor board, forget being its chief.” Party leader Ashish Khetan alleged that Mr. Nihalani was acting as a “puppet” in the Prime Minister’s hands and the film had been stopped due to “political” reasons.
