Haryana BJP leader Suraj Pal Amu today trained his gun on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for welcoming 'Padmavati' director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his team to her state, drawing an angry retort from the Trinamool Congress.
Amu, who is up in arms against the release of the Hindi film, addressed a large gathering of the Rajput community in Bhondsi village in Gurgaon today.
The gathering, which was also attended by Karni Sena president Lokendra Kalvi, unanimously decided to prevent the screening of the film in entire Haryana.
"We have urged the Haryana chief minister to imposed a ban on the film in Haryana. We will make sure that the film is not screened in any city of the state. No one has courage to release the film here," Amu said.
Targeting the West Bengal chief minister, the BJP leader said, "Mamata Banerjee should understand and respect the sentiments of the Rajput community. She should roll back the decision to release the film in her state and not test our patience."
According to a Trinamool Congress leader, the Haryana BJP leader also threatened that Banerjee would meet the same fate as Surpanakha, the sister of demon king Ravana in Hindu epic 'Ramayana'. Surpanakha nose was cut off by Lakshman in the epic.
Reacting to the BJP leader's remarks, senior TMC leader Partha Chatterjee said, "We condemn such regressive and derogatory remark against our chief minister. Either he should tender an apology or the people of Bengal will keep an watch on him and would protest against his remarks."
Another TMC leader and state minister, Chandrima Bhattachraya said, "It is a reflection of the mindset of BJP which tells us they don't respect women. The people of Bengal will democratically protest against this such regressive and derogatory statement against our beloved chief Minister."
Banerjee yesterday said that she would welcome 'Padmavati' director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his team to the state and make special arrangements for the film's premiere and release.
Banerjee's statement came just days after she tweeted that the row over the film was a "calculated plan" to destroy freedom of expression in the country.
The release of the film, which has been directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and stars Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, has been deferred indefinitely by its producers, Viacom 18. It was initially slated to release on December 1.
Amu, the BJP's chief media coordinator in Haryana, earlier offered a bounty of Rs 10 crore to anyone beheading Bhansali and actor Deepika Padukone.
Amu was booked by the Gurgaon police for his remarks and the BJP distanced itself from the comments and issued a show- cause notice to him.
Amu later said he had made the remarks in his personal capacity and that he would resign if his party asked him to but would not tolerate any "insult" to his community.
Amid rumours of a romantic dream sequence between Rajput queen Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji's characters in the film, many Rajput groups have been up in arms against the movie, alleging that it distorts history.
Historians, however, are divided on whether Rani Padmavati existed.
PTI
