Will protest 'Padmaavat' peacefully: BJP leader

Chandigarh: Rajput leader Suraj Pal Amu, who had reportedly offered a Rs 10-crore bounty for beheading “Padmavaat” actor Deepika Padukone and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, today said he will continue to protest the film in a peaceful manner.

After the Supreme Court paved the way for an all-India release of the controversy-ridden film on January 25, Amu said, “I will continue to protest in a peaceful manner. I do not mind if I am hanged for it.” 

“We respect the court order. We are educated people, we respect the law. But we have the right to peaceful protest, which we have been doing. We believe the film hurts the sentiments of the Rajput community,” he told PTI on the phone.

Amu had on November 29 last year resigned as chief media coordinator of the BJP’s state unit, days after the party served a show cause notice to him for the bounty offer. At a function of the Rajput community in Delhi in November, Amu had said, “How can we allow somebody to distort history and mislead the people by projecting the heroic character of Rani Padmavati in a poor light while glorifying the villains of history. We will not allow the release of this film at any cost.”

The Manohar Lal Khattar government on Monday banned the film’s screening in Haryana. The film, which stars Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in lead roles, had faced opposition from various quarters, including the Rajput community. Health Minister Anil Vij had earlier said he would not allow the movie to be screened in the state.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court stayed the orders and notifications issued by Rajasthan and Gujarat governments prohibiting the screening of ‘Padmaavat’, clearing the decks for its nationwide release on January 25. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also restrained other states from issuing such notifications or orders prohibiting the exhibition of the film.

When contacted, Vij said: “We respect the Supreme Court order, we will follow it… It is applicable to all.” To a question, he said steps will be taken by the Haryana government to ensure law and order.