BJP lashes out at Prakash Raj for his demand for screening Palestinian movies at BIFF
Bengaluru (PTI): The BJP on Friday hit out at actor Prakash Raj for demanding screening of Palestinian movies during the 17th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFF).
Raj, who has been named as the BIFF’s ambassador by the Karnataka government, slammed the Centre for restricting Palestinian movies in India.
“The Centre is not allowing the screening of Palestinian movies in the BIFF this year. What is this? How we should protest against it?
As the BIFF Ambassador I request Chief Minister Siddaramaiah that he should take a firm decision on this,” Raj said on Thursday.
He said when the people of Karnataka celebrate the Booker Award to Banu Mushtaq for her novel ‘Heart Lamp’, which is given by others, how can Indians accept restricting others’ stories.
In support of Palestinian cinema, he recited a poem and urged the government to resist politicisation of cultural exchange programmes.
Flaying Prakash Raj, BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginkai said why he is not demanding screening of movies on the Hindu genocide in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
"The ban on Palestinian movie has been decided from the top. I would like to ask those who oppose the government's decision that why they do not demand screening of movies on Hindu genocide in Bangladesh and Pakistan,” the Hubballi-Dharwad Central MLA told reporters here.
He said the Centre was right in banning the screening of Palestinian movies.
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BJP to fight Assam polls on twin planks of development, secure state
Guwahati (PTI): In a bid to win the Assam Assembly elections for the third time in a row, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday advised the state BJP brass to fight on twin planks: development and a secure state.
Shah, who wound up a two-day visit to Assam, held a nearly two-hour-long meeting with senior leaders of the BJP state unit at the party headquarters here, with a focus on discussing strategy for the state elections, expected in March-April.
Briefing reporters after the closed-door meeting, BJP Assam president Dilip Saikia said, "Development and a secure Assam will be our twin electoral planks."
He also said that Shah, known for his expertise in electoral politics, has offered valuable suggestions, and based on it, an action plan to retain power in the state will be formulated soon.
“Discussions were held in detail on our organisational and political calendars. Shah ji offered some very valuable suggestions, and we will implement those at the earliest…We will share more details on the action plan soon,” Saikia said.
He further said that the Union minister exhorted the state party leadership to ensure that not only do they secure a ‘massive landslide victory’ but also bag more seats than in the previous election.
The BJP currently leads a coalition government in Assam with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), while the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) has also extended support.
In the 126-member Assembly, the BJP now has 64 legislators, while its allies AGP, UPPL and BPF have nine, seven and three memnbers, respectively. In the opposition camp, the Congress’ strength is 26, while AIUDF has 15 members and CPI(M) one. There is an Independent legislator also, belonging to Raijor Dal.
Saikia said that the party will continue to contest the state polls in coalition with its NDA allies, which was also favoured by Shah.
Dismissing reports of chinks in the ruling coalition, the Lok Sabha MP said, “As far as the NDA is concerned, we are united in Assam. There could be discussions about some issues on individual party forums.”
The saffron party has maintained that its alliance with the regional parties will continue, and formalities like seat-sharing arrangements are being worked out.
Shah, who was on his second visit to the state within a month, attended two other events in Dibrugarh and Dheamji earlier in the day. He left for West Bengal after the meeting at the Guwahati state party headquarters.
