Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. (PTI Photo) Attacking the BJP for promoting The Kashmir Files and demanding that it be made tax free in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said “some people were earning crores” by exploiting the suffering of Kashmiri Pandits, while BJP leaders had been “reduced” to putting up posters of the movie.
If the BJP wants everyone to watch the movie, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri should release it on YouTube so that it is available to everyone for free, he said. “Keh rahe hain Kashmir Files tax free karo. Arre, YouTube pe daal do, free hi free ho jayegi. Tax free kyun kara rahe ho? Itna hi tum ko shauk hai, Vivek Agnihotri ko bol do, YouTube pe daal dega. Saari picture free hai, saare jaake dekh lenge ek hi din ke andar (They are saying make Kashmir Files tax free. Put it on YouTube, it will be free for all. Why do you want it to be tax free? If you want this done so badly, tell Vivek Agnihotri and he will put it on YouTube. Everyone will watch it in one day),” he said.
The movie has already been declared tax free in several states including UP, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh.
“Aaj saare desh ki saari Bharatiya Janata Party ek picture ke poster laga rahi hai gali-gali main jaake. Isliye rajneeti karne aaye the? Picture ke poster lagane? Apne bachhon ko kya jawab doge?… 8 saal kendriya sarkar chalane ke baad agar kisi desh ke pradhan mantri ko Vivek Agnihotri ke charno main sharan leni pade, toh iska matlab hai uss pradhan mantri ne 8 saal main koi kaam nahi kia (Today, the BJP across the country is putting up posters for a movie in every street. Did you come into politics to do this? What will you tell your children when you go home?… If a Prime Minister, after running a country for eight years, has to seek refuge at the feet of Vivek Agnihotri, it means he hasn’t done anything in his tenure),” Kejriwal said.
Vintage Kejriwal!
Disclaimer : Vivek Agnihotri and BJP people shouldn’t watch this video. pic.twitter.com/ablQfhdl9M
— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) March 24, 2022
“I read in a newspaper yesterday that a BJP MLA in Haryana was screening the movie for free in a park. Vivek Agnihotri tweeted immediately, asking (Haryana CM) Manohar Lal Khattar to make sure that people buy tickets to the movie. Some people are earning crores of rupees in the name of Kashmiri Pandits and you (BJP) leaders have been asked to put up posters. What are you doing? Open your eyes. What have they reduced you to? They are treating you like sheep,” he said.
He said the BJP had not been of any help to the people of Delhi. “Even Hitler employed his lackeys. What did they give you? Did your children get jobs, did they make arrangements for food and power? Only Kejriwal works for you. Power in your house is free. I gave jobs to 12 lakh youngsters of Delhi, improved schools and hospitals. If someone is unwell in your house, Kejriwal gets them medicine, not Modi. I want to tell all BJP workers and supporters, open your mind a bit and stop this mindless following… All of you quit BJP and join AAP. You will be respected, we will not make you raise false slogans and we won’t make you put up posters of these false movies either. We will work on nation-building together. Stop promoting a movie…,” he said, as laughter rang out in the Vidhan Sabha.
“I read it in a newspaper yesterday, that a BJP MLA in Haryana was screening the movie for free in a park. Vivek Agnihotri tweeted immediately, asking (Haryana CM) Manoharlal Khattar to make sure that people buy the tickets to the movie. Some people are earning crores of rupees in the name of Kashmiri pandits and you (BJP) leaders have been asked to put up posters. What are you doing! Open your eyes. They are treating you like sheep,” Kejriwal added.
Kejriwal also said that the BJP had not been of any help to the people of Delhi, where all work was done by his government.
Hitting back, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said: “Arvind Kejriwal was, is and will remain Hindu Virodhi. He made fun of Hindus in the Assembly today and AAP MLAs were clapping. You will be able to please your vote bank, but it is clear the Kashmir genocide happened because of people like you.” BJP national general secretary Dushyant Gautam said Kejriwal had “insulted all those Kashmiri Pandits who lost everything”.
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