Ranchi: The Jharkhand unit of RJD, a part of the ruling alliance in Jharkhand on Sunday demanded that chief minister Hemant Soren should ban ‘The Sabarmati Report', a Hindi feature film based on the Godhra train burning incident, terming it as "propaganda" to target a particular community.
Union minister of state for defence and BJP leader Sanjay Seth responded, saying RJD has a myopic vision and demanded that the film be made "tax-free" in Jharkhand.
Talking to TOI, Seth said, "It is ironic that a party like RJD sees everything through the communal and caste prism. But the people of this country and the state have the right to know the historic events. They (RJD) should know that a commission (Nanavati Commission) was formed to probe the Godhra incident which was monitored by the Supreme Court and based on which, the accused were punished. In fact, Hemant Soren govt must make the film tax-free in Jharkhand."
Seth's response was against the statement of state RJD general secretary Kailash Yadav who said, "The film is BJP's ongoing propaganda against a particular community. The saffron party is engaging in divisive politics across the country. Through the film, BJP is targeting the Muslim community, spreading messages of hatred."
Yadav also alleged that BJP had previously propagated a false narrative nationwide with ‘The Kashmir Files' to incite societal discord. "The Censor Board (CBFC), too, is operating under the influence of the Union govt when it should be impartial and transparent. Therefore, I urged the administration to impose a ban on the film here," he said.
Notably, Seth, Ranchi MLA C P Singh and a host of senior BJP leaders had on Saturday watched the movie in the city. Top BJP leaders in recent days went in hordes to watch the movie across the country. Soon after its release, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the movie in a tweet.