Tamil Nadu: BJP leader wants scenes cut from ‘Mersal’ as they mock GST, Digital India

[manlion]

The Tamil Nadu state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday asked for some scenes from Vijay’s new film Mersal to be removed as they are critical of the Goods and Services Tax and the Digital India initiative. The film was released on Wednesday.

Tamilisai Soundararajan, the BJP leader, accused actor Vijay of spreading false information because he wants to enter politics, The News Minute reported.

“I haven’t seen the movie, but those who saw the movie say there were factual errors in what was said,” she told The News Minute. “The scenes on GST and Digital India have been written in such a way so as to create a wrong impression on the minds of people.”

In one of the scenes that Soundararajan has objected to, a thief tries to steal the wallet of a character, who then shows him that his wallet is empty – thanks to Digital India. In another scene, Vijay’s character compares the GST rates in Singapore and India. While Singapore has 7% GST and people get free medical treatment, Indians do not get it despite paying 28% GST, the character says.

https://scroll.in/latest/854696/tam...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

[Cipherman]

I don't know why currently pdf gone to this worse, even in tamilnadu we don't care about her, but here there is a separate thread for this LOL

 

[manlion]

https://twitter.com/x/status/921233528347430913

https://twitter.com/x/status/921236347087495168

 

[$@rJen]

she's a joke... And yes that GST quote had a very good question... After GST noone except the poor are suffering.... Let's see if modi has the capability to resolve the issue

 

[Dash]

Unless BJP shades it’s protectionism they will never reach the status of a party with intellect. Barring some top leaders it’s true that BJP has idiots filled in the party. I say this despite my support to this party.

 

[manlion]

https://twitter.com/x/status/921296106327117824

 

[manlion]

https://twitter.com/x/status/921325263350390784

https://twitter.com/x/status/921286686310506496

 

[manlion]

now trending world wide #MersalvsModi

https://twitter.com/x/status/921417373848035328

 

[manlion]

https://twitter.com/x/status/921599988873838592

 

[kvpak]

It is intimidation and censorship. Where is it a crime to criticize gov policies? In dictatorships

 

[manlion]

After Taj is ‘Anti-Hindu’ Claim, BJP Leaders See ‘Christian’ Plot in Tamil Film’s Criticism of GST

Asked why he had referred to Vijay’s rarely used Christian name in his tweet, BJP leader H. Raja said the Tamil actor was a practicing Christian, which was reflected in his “hate campaign”.

New Delhi: Fifteen years ago, Narendra Modi made it a point to spell out the full Christian name of the then chief election commissioner – James Michael Lyngdoh – in order to tell his Hindu supporters that the Khasi official was not one of them. And on Saturday, the Bharatiya Janata Party took aim at Vijay, superstar of the Tamil film industry, denouncing “Joseph Vijay’s hate campaign against Modi” for his criticism of the chaotic Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout.

While BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief T.N. Soundarrajan demanded the removal of scenes from the film Mersal “that convey wrong impression” about GST and Modi’s digital India scheme, party spokesperson H. Raja, who is also a national secretary of the party, took to Twitter to air his allegations that the film was a Christian plot.

Apart from highlighting Vijay’s full name, the BJP leader told the Indian Express that while everyone has the right to “criticise the BJP government on any medium,” the critique should be “based on facts.” Raja further said that he was attempting to “confirm” whether Hema Rukmani of Thenandal Studios Ltd – who is the film’s producer – “may also be a Christian”.

On their part, the makers of Mersal have noted that the film has been approved by the Central Board of Film Certification and the “matter ends there”. The CPI(M) has described the BJP’s criticism as an “attack on freedom of expression”.

The film has been running to packed theatres in the state since its Diwali release on October 18. Produced by Thenandal Studios Limited, the film that has also been dubbed into Telugu, NDTV reported.

Among the contentious scenes of the film is one where the comic actor Vadivelu opens his wallet to show a thief in Singapore and thanks “Digital India” for it being empty.

According to NDTV, in another scene, Vijay’s character laments the Indian government’s inability to provide free healthcare for all despite “high” GST rates of 28%, further adding that Singapore was able to do so despite a much lower GST rate of 7%.

”I asked many of my friends in Singapore about Vijay’s claims in the movie. They all said that there is a medical premium imposed on people, and that medical treatment is not free,” Raja told Indian Express. “Also, getting medical facilities is very difficult for Singapore’s people. So, it is a lie that they are trying to spread through the movie.”

Claiming that the Tamil film was “giving twisted facts about GST and Singapore,” BJP spokesperson Narayanan said “We can’t allow lies being told.”

“What do they [the filmmakers] know about GST and its economics… such incorrect references should be removed from the film,” BJP state unit president Tamilisai Sounderrajan said.

The lead actor’s dialogues include a suggestion that the country needs to build more hospitals rather than temples. He also makes a mention of deaths of children in government hospitals due to the lack of oxygen cylinders – being seen as a reference to the deaths of children and infants in Gorakhpur’s BRD hospital over the past few months for which the ruling BJP government has come under attack.

When asked why Raja had referred to Vijay’s rarely used Christian name in his tweet, the BJP leader told Indian Express that the Tamil actor was a practicing Christian, which was reflected in his “hate campaign”.

“Vijay dared to say that we should build hospitals instead of temples, will he say the same about churches, too? Why are only temples being referred to? In the last 20 years, some 17,500 churches and some 9,700 mosques were built in Tamil Nadu compared to just 370 temples built during the same period,” he said.

Another senior BJP leader L. Ganeshan said that “it has become a style these days to criticise and attack the Centre.”
While BJP leaders were quick to demand the removal of the contentious scenes and dialogues, actor Kamal Haasan on October 20 threw his weight behind the makers the film, asking those opposing it to “counter criticism with logical response”.

Pa. Ranjith, the director of Rajinikanth-starrer Kabali, also came to the defence of makers of the film, questioning the BJP’s logic of demanding the cuts. “When all those controversial dialogues are being accepted in the theatre with huge applause, it means the movie has succeeded in voicing the sentiments of the people. Why should they be removed?” he demanded.

Taking a dig at the Centre, former finance minister P. Chidambaram said on Twitter that soon the government will issue a law making it mandatory to only make documentaries that praise the government’s policies.

Despite the backing, sources told Indian Express that threats like income tax raids might result in the removal of the controversial scenes. “Such events will derail the entire movie industry and many ongoing projects. We do not want anything to affect the industry.”

(With PTI inputs)

 

[manlion]

Modi party under fire for demanding cuts in Indian film

http://guardian.ng/news/modi-party-under-fire-for-demanding-cuts-in-indian-film/?F