BHOPAL: After the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh declared Deepika Padukone-starrer "Chhapaak" as tax-free, opposition BJP on Friday demanded the same concession for Ajay Devgn's "Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior".
BJP leaders also asked their former ally Shiv Sena -- which is now sharing power with the Congress in Maharashtra -- to support the demand.
Congress-ruled governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh declared "Chhapaak", which deals with the issue of acid attacks on women, tax-free after Deepika visited a protest against the violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.
The National Student Union of India (NSUI), student wing of the Congress, distributed free tickets of "Chhapaak" in the state on Friday.
Not to be outdone, BJP leaders distributed free tickets for "Tanhaji", which is about the 17th century Maratha warrior Tanhaji Malusare, an associate of King Shivaji.
Both "Chhapaak" and "Tanhaji" released on Friday.
"Tanhaji" should be tax-free. The movie is about defending one's country from foreign invaders. It is based on illustrious life of Tanhaji Malusare, an army leader and friend of Hindu king Chhatrapati Shivaji," BJP MLA from Huzur Rameshwar Sharma told PTI.
"We also request Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray to write a letter to MP CM, seeking tax-free status for "Tanhaji"," he added.
"Thackeray should also declare the film tax-free in Maharashtra, otherwise we will consider that he has started following the thoughts of (Mughal emperor) Aurangzeb," the MLA said.
Former MLA and BJP leader Surendra Nath Singh and the party's district general secretary Anil Agrawal distributed free tickets to the people who turned up to watch the Devgn- starrer film at Rangmahal Talkies in Bhopal.
"We have watched and also distributed 200 free tickets of Tanhaji," Agrawal said.
"Deepika Padukone shared the stage with anti-national elements at JNU. We oppose her act of showing solidarity with such people who are harming the nation," the BJP leader said.
The NSUI distributed free tickets of "Chhapaak" to college students.
"We have distributed around 200 free tickets of Chhapaak at Sangeet Talkies here. Students who showed college ID cards were given tickets," said its spokesperson Vivek Tripathi.
Padukone visited the JNU campus in Delhi on Tuesday to express solidarity with the students who were attacked by armed assailants on Sunday night.
Her gesture earned her praise for taking a stand on a political issue, while some others dismissed it as a promotion stunt for her film.