The Shiv Sena on Saturday attacked its coalition partner, the BJP, for watering down the recent diktat of making screening of Marathi films compulsory at ‘prime time’ in cinema halls even as a prime-time screening of national award-winning film Court had to be cancelled for want of audience.
The Sena, battling hard to defend its territory — the political constituency of Marathi speakers — against a belligerent BJP, expressed its unhappiness with Education and Culture Minister Vinod Tawde (BJP) for relaxing the norms.
The Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP-Sena government earlier this month came out with a directive that multiplexes must screen at least one Marathi film in the prime-time slot. After widespread criticism, the government was forced to climb down and relax the norms.
Mr. Tawde announced the norms relaxation after he held discussions with a delegation of multiplex owners and Marathi filmmakers.
In a sharp response to it, the Sena said Mr. Tawde should have dealt strongly with the multiplex owners and put across the government’s point of view.
