Guwahati: AIUDF supremo Badruddin Ajmal requested the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which falls under the Central Government, to impose a ban on the Bollywood movie "The Kashmir Files" on March 16.
The Dhubri MP is of the view that the film is taking forward the 'Hindutva' propaganda in the country. He believes that the film will create enmity by instilling communal disharmony and hatred between the Hindus and Muslims.
"This movie was made only to create communal disharmony and hatred between the Hindus and Muslims," said Ajmal.
He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter and ban the movie as soon as possible.
Assam Chief Minister gave a befitting reply to his colleague by saying, "I don't know in what context MP Badruddin Ajmal has made the claim and had urged to ban 'The Kashmir Files'. I am sure, he hasn't watched the movie. This movie is based on research and its 'non-fictional', it doesn't portray Hindus or Muslims. It is for 'Kashmiriyat' which means 'everyone' irrespective of all religion. Therefore, I urge all the people of Assam to watch the movie."
The statement came after the CM watched the movie at PVR in Guwahati.
Meanwhile, employees of the state government have been granted a half-day special leave to watch 'The Kashmir Files'. The employees have been asked to inform their senior officers and submit the movie tickets the following day.
Furthermore, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Karnataka have already exempted the Hindi movie from local taxes. Apart from these states, Uttarakhand, Tripura and Goa too announced tax-exemption as it pulled tremendous crowds to cinema halls.
A video showing Kashmiri Pandits in teary eyes after watching the movie is going viral on social media.
However, the film has also been politicized to a large extent with some elements calling for a complete boycott of the movie.
Apart from being critically acclaimed, the Kashmir Files has also enjoyed commercial success. Directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, the film stars Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Pallavi Joshi and Amaan Iqbal.
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