New Delhi, Dec 28: "The Accidental Prime Minister", starring Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh, is BJP's propaganda against their party, Congress leaders said on Friday as the former prime minister evaded comment on the growing controversy over the film on him.

Congress leaders said propaganda against the party would not work and the truth shall prevail.

The trailer of the film, based on the book of the same name by Sanjay Baru who served as Singh's media advisor 2004 to 2008, was released in Mumbai on Thursday.

The trailer shows Singh as a victim of the Congress' internal politics ahead of the the 2014 general elections.

Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM's chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of 'The Accidental Prime Minister', based on an insider's account, releasing on 11 January," the BJP said on Thursday night.

Responding to the BJP, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter that such fake propaganda by the party would not stop it from asking the Modi government questions on "rural distress, rampant unemployment, demonetisation disaster, flawed GST, failed Modinomics, all pervading corruption.

Asked by journalists to comment on the film at the Congress' foundation day function at the party headquarters on Friday, Singh walked away without saying anything.

Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said propaganda against the Congress and its leaders would not work and the truth shall prevail.

His colleague, Congress leader P L Punia, accused the BJP of evading answers on its mis-governance after having failed on all fronts.

This is the handiwork of the BJP. They know that time has come to give answers after completion of five years and they are now trying to divert attention by raising such issues and evade answering to the public after its government failed on all fronts, he said.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also tweeted on the film, saying, "Can't wait for when they make The Insensitive Prime Minister. So much worse than being the accidental one."

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film stars Kher as Manmohan Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Baru.

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Kollam (PTI): A teacher convicted in the sensational murder of Dr Vandana Das inside a hospital here was sentenced to life term on Saturday, and the prosecution said it will move an appeal seeking death penalty for the accused. The victim's family also batted for "maximum punishment".

Dr Das was brutally killed inside a taluk hospital in May 2023 by G Sandeep.

Kollam Additional District and Sessions judge P N Vinod sentenced Sandeep to a total of 30 years for various offences under the then Indian Penal Code (IPC) and said that after he serves that period, his life imprisonment for Das' murder will commence.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2.35 lakh on the convict.

Though the prosecution had sought death penalty for the accused during the arguments on sentence, the court was of the view that the case does not fall under the rarest-of-rare category to warrant the maximum punishment.

It was also of the view that there was a chance of the convict getting reformed as he told the court that the rest of his life would be one of repentance, the order on sentence said.

"At the same time, I agree with the stand of the prosecution to the effect that the sentence should commensurate with the gravity of the crime and the sentence should not only be reformative, but should also have a deterrent effect."

"In my view, the said objective can be achieved by directing that the term sentences that will be imposed will run consecutively and life sentence that has to be imposed will commence only after the expiration of terms sentences," the judge said.

After the verdict, special public prosecutor (SPP) Prathap G Padickal told reporters outside the court that he will recommend to the prosecution to file an appeal seeking enhancement of the life imprisonment to death penalty.

The victim's father said that the verdict has come as a relief for the family, but that he cannot authoritatively say whether his late daughter has got justice. He indicated his dissatisfaction with the punishment, saying that steps will be taken to seek its enhancement after discussions with the public prosecutor.

Dr Das' mother said that the family can only wish for the maximum punishment and it was up to the court to decide what sentence should be given. She said that the family will go in appeal, but declined to comment on whether her daughter got justice.

She tearfully said that she wants the convict to suffer the same pain that her daughter underwent "as he stabbed her 27 times".

The court on March 17 had convicted Sandeep for various offences under the IPC, including murder, destruction of evidence and wrongful restraint.

It had also held him guilty under the provisions of the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of violence and damage to property) Act 2012.

Sandeep was brought to the taluk hospital by the police for medical treatment during the small hours of May 10, 2023 and he went on a sudden attacking spree using a pair of surgical scissors kept in the room where his leg injury was being dressed.

A school teacher by profession, he had initially attacked the police officers and another person who had accompanied him to the hospital and then turned on the young Dr Das, who could not escape to safety.

She was stabbed several times and later succumbed to her injuries in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she was rushed following the attack.

Dr Das was a native of the Kaduthuruthy area of Kottayam district and the only child of her parents.

She was a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was working at the Kottarakkara taluk hospital as part of her training.

Sandeep had called the emergency number 112, claiming that his life was in danger. When local police located him, he was standing close by his home, surrounded by local residents and his relatives, and had a wound on his leg following an alleged quarrel.

He was then taken to the hospital for dressing the wound.