BJP criticises Tamil movie for ''misconceptions'' about GST, demonetisation

Chennai/Nagercoil, October 20

References to the Goods and Services Tax in the just-released Tamil film ‘Mersal’ starring popular actor Vijay have not gone down well with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The party wants parts it calls “untruths” — mainly portions that contain references of the taxation — edited out.

Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan said that it was wrong to use cinema as a medium to “spread wrong information”, and that actors should not use the medium to score political brownie points,

His party colleague, H Raja, claimed that the film “exposed” the actor’s “anti-Modi hatred”.

The BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit made similar demands on Thursday.

Raja, the party's national secretary, said in a series of tweets the reference to GST exposed Vijay's "lack of knowledge of economics".

State BJP president Tamilisai Soundarrajan said that actors should bear in mind the “impact they had on the public” before spread what she called was incorrect information. 

"What do they (the filmmakers) know about GST and its economics... such incorrect references should be removed from the film," she had said.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) meanwhile has criticised the BJP saying it was trying to cub free speech.

"CPI (M) condemns this attitude of the BJP. Social organisations and people should speak in one voice against BJP," party state secretary G Ramakrishnan said in a statement in Chennai.

Ranjith, director of superstar Rajinikanth’s film ‘Kabali’, also criticised the BJP’s stand.

"There is no need. People's opinion on the issue seem to have been reflected in the film as the scene is receiving grand applause from the audience in theatres," he claimed. “Politicians should view this (apparent impact of GST) as a ‘people's issue’.”

Besides, Vijay, the movie, directed by Atlee, stars Samantha Akineni, and was released on October 18. PTI