Blaming film maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for playing with the emotions of the people, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that if people issuing death threat to actors and directors of ‘Padmavati’ were guilty, them film director Bhnasali was equally guilty and action should be initiated against him. “No one should be allowed to take the law in his own hands. If the people are guilty for issuing death threats, then the director of ‘Padmavati’ is equally guilty. If action is taken against these people, action should also be taken against Bhansali,” Yogi said told news persons in Gorakhpur on Tuesday.
The CM said, “Bhansali should have avoided making such a controversial movie after there were protests during the shooting. But he continued playing with the emotions of the people which is totally wrong. In the same vein, he slammed people for announcing bounty on the head of actors and the director. Yogi further said that the film-maker ‘will have to realise his fault and he should try to understand why people were protesting against the film’. The CM’s reaction came after several people from across the country, including individuals in Meerut, Sambhal and Ghaziabad, announced bounties ranging from Rs 50 lakh to 5 crore on the head of ‘Padmavati’ actors and producers. When asked about banning the film in UP as was done by Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Yogi said: “We have already apprised the Centre of our views on the film.”
The state government has written to the Union government saying there could be law and order problem if ‘Padmavati’ was released and requested that proper precaution be taken before its release. Incidentally, after the CM’s statement, a BJP law maker in Haryana, Surajpal Amu raised the bounty on actress Deepika Padukone, who plays the role of Padmavati, from Rs 5 crore to 10 crore. Earlier, a Thakur leader from Meerut, Abhishek Som had announced Rs 5 crore as an award for anyone who severs Deepika’s nose. Taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi over his elevation as Congress president, Yogi said that Rahul should be made Congress president at the earliest so that the country could see ‘Congress-Mukt Bharat’ soon. The CM flayed Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, who reportedly said that Lord Rama was worshipped only in north India, but Lord Krishna was popular across the country. “If Mulayam Singhji had read Dr Ram Manohar Lohia’s ideology thoroughly, he would not have said such a thing,” Yogi said and added that a leader of Mulayam’s stature should not have said such a thing that could annoy Ram’s worshippers.