'Why Delhi not making 'The Kashmir Files' tax free?' BJP hits back at Kejriwal

BJP leader Prakash Javadekar also said that a narrative is being spread that there was the VP Singh government at that time and Jagmohan was the governor.
Poster of the film 'The Kashmir Files'. (Photo | Vivek Agnihotri Twitter)
Poster of the film 'The Kashmir Files'. (Photo | Vivek Agnihotri Twitter)

NEW DELHI: BJP leader and former union minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday asked why the Delhi government is not making 'The Kashmir Files' film tax-free when an AAP member has said in Parliament that every citizen in the country should watch it.

During the discussion on a resolution moved by BJP member Rakesh Sinha in the upper house, AAP member Sanjay Singh had asked the government to make the film based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits available on YouTube and show it on Doordarshan with a caution that people should not derive joy out of the suffering of the people and take political mileage out of their suffering.

"We should understand why so many people have turned up to watch 'Kashmir Files'. Sanjay Singh also said show it on Doordarshan, YouTube. Every citizen of the country should see it. If every citizen has to watch it then why are you not making it tax-free in Delhi," Javadekar said.

Referring to Singh's Aam Aadmi Party, he said it is a strange party that has built a Ram temple in Delhi but opposes the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

During the discussion, Singh had attacked the BJP for being a silent spectator to the exodus of pandits from the valley.

"In 1989, when pandits were thrown out of the state, BJP was part of the government. When the pandits were being beaten up and forced to leave, you (BJP) were part of the government and you were silent. History cannot be forgotten, your party member Jagmohan was the Governor of J&K," Singh charged.

Javadekar said that a narrative is being spread that there was the VP Singh government at that time and Jagmohan was the governor.

"Jagmohan was appointed governor by Indira (Gandhi) ji. Jagmohan came to the BJP afterwards," Javadekar said.

He said that Jagmohan has written a book in which he elaborates how a vicious campaign was run against Pandits when Farooq Abdullah was chief minister with the Congress support and there was the Rajiv Gandhi government at the Centre.

"Yasin Malik who was a major part of this conspiracy and there is angst against him across the country, who honoured him? Who invited him in all the discussions. If Prime Minister Manmohan Singh entertains Yasin Malik then how will it work?" Javadekar said.

His speech was interrupted by Congress member Jairam Ramesh who said that the house has been extended for discussion on the resolution and not to discuss "nonsense".

"Why won't we set the record straight. There were slogans of 'Azaadi Azaadi', 'Afzal tumhare kaatil jinda hai', 'Ek Afzal Maroge to har Ghar se Afzal niklega'. Who supported these slogans?" Javadekar said.

He said that the anger of people against the "tukde tukde" gang has come out in "The Kashmir Files".

"Those who call themselves anarchist are preaching patriotism," Javadekar said.

Talking about the resolution to form a civilised culture at the national and state levels and allocation of adequate financial assistance to the group associated with such tradition and micro-culture, Javadekar said Indian civilisation represents diversity and tolerance.

Participating in the discussion, Congress member Amee Yajnik said that it was Jawaharlal Nehru's vision for the country which led to establishment of IITs, IIMs and AIIMS.

"Today we take too much pride when somebody comes from abroad, heads the biggest corporation in the world of Indian origin having studied in IIT.

We forget the fact that we should provide our students with the same kind of education where they can head corporations or companies abroad or in India," she said.

Congress MP Kumar Ketkar said that Sinha in his resolution has mixed terms like culture, civilisation, tradition, religion, ethos and nation.

"All these terms are mixed for making political arguments which are actually covered by some kind of semi-philosophical statement," Ketkar.

He said that in Indonesia majority of the Muslims have Hindu names.

"Tradition, culture, epics do not necessarily have national boundaries. We should not mix up national boundaries with national cultures and national civilisation," Ketkar said.

Sujeet Kumar of the BJD said that among the large economies, India spends the lowest on its R&D.

"It is R&D on pharma, high-end tech, IT, and includes research on literature, art and culture. We spend only 0.7 per cent of GDP on R&D," he said, underlining the need to boost R&D spends.

He also emphasised on the need to open more ICCR centres.

Despite its rich heritage, India has only 37 ICCR centres across the globe, Kumar said, adding that the number of ICCR centres need to be increased to 100 at a time when the country is focusing on reviving ancient knowledge systems, and showcasing its traditions and culture to the world.

Mahesh Poddar of the BJP said India represented a world in itself.

On the debate surrounding 'The Kashmir Files', Poddar said the events that unfolded in Kashmir were sad.

"Today there is a debate on whether we should remember these sad events, or not. It is regrettable that it is becoming a matter of debate. It should be a matter of concern. That even as such a big incident happened, the entire truth did not come out and there was no resolution," Poddar said.

BJP member Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe also participated in the discussion.

The Gujarat BJP on Friday held protests in many cities in the state against Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal for his remarks against the recently-released film 'The Kashmir Files'.

During his address in the Delhi Assembly on Thursday, Kejriwal had mocked BJP leaders.

"They (BJP) are demanding that the movie be declared tax-free in Delhi. Upload it on YouTube, the movie will become free and everyone will be able to watch it," he had said.

The Delhi CM also said, 'Some people are earning crores in the name of Kashmiri Pandits and you (BJP) have been sticking posters of the film."

BJP workers burnt effigies of Kejriwal in Ahmedabad, Kutch and Valsad amid slogans that said only those supportive of Hindu interests would get elected to govern.

Gujarat government spokesperson and education minister Jitu Vaghani said the Aam Aadmi party chief must make it clear which side he was on when it came to the displaced community, whose travails have been depicted in the hugely-successful film written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri.

"Kejriwal's behaviour is like 'mooh main Ram, bagal mein churi' (using piety to hide deviousness).

He should make his stand clear and say if he is with those who suffered in Kashmir or not?" Vaghani said.

"You (Kejriwal) can only understand their pain if you are thrown out of Delhi like the Kashmiris were thrown out of Kashmir. This is the issue of understanding pain and feelings of those who were wronged. But those who run a drama company cannot understand the real pain of people. He (Kejriwal) should sit with those who have suffered in Kashmir. There are many Kashmiri Pandit families here," he said.

Attacking Kejriwal for his comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vaghani said it was the latter who had taken part in a yatra in the leadership of Murli Manohar Joshi to unfurl the Tricolour at Lal Chowk in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar in 1991.

Kejriwal, while speaking in the Delhi Assembly, had said the PM needed to take the help of a film for political gains despite ruling the country for eight years.

"If you (Kejriwal) think the film portrays wrong information then bring your facts to the table," Vaghani said.

Incidentally, Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will attend a roadshow in Ahmedabad on April 2, in what is being seen as the kickstart of the party's campaign for the Gujarat Assembly polls, scheduled for later this year.

The film, which has found support from the BJP but has been called one-sided and communal by detractors, has been given tax-free status in Gujarat.

Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Friday said a book on the Gujarat riots written by a journalist must also be given as much publicity as 'The Kashmir Files'.

'The Kashmir Files', which depicts atrocities committed by Pakistan-backed terrorists on Kashmiri Pandits that finally led to their displacement from the restive region, has garnered support from the BJP, whose state governments have made it tax-free.

Shinde, who said he had not seen the film written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri, lashed out at the prime minister and other BJP leaders on the issue.

"I have not seen the film (The Kashmir Files ) but several people are talking about it. But before Kashmir Files, there was ( a book ) Gujarat Files (Anatomy of Cover-Up) by (journalist) Rana (Ayyub)," he said.

"The prime minister and others are giving publicity to The Kashmir Files, they must also talk about The Gujarat Files," Shinde told reporters in Solapur.

He said showing any event in a distorted way was wrong, adding that trying to whip up people's sentiments in this manner was an old strategy of the BJP.

He praised the film 'Jhund', which showcases slum soccer and its role as a social emancipator for the youth in a deprived urban setting, and has been helmed by award-winning director Nagraj Manjule.

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