Chennai

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tamilisai Soundararajan on Tuesday criticised Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for supporting the Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan while the Congress-backed Tamil Nadu Youth Congress has demanded a ban on Sivakarthikeyan-starrer Parasakthi.

In a press release, Soundararajan accused the Congress of hypocrisy, stating that the party had a history of suppressing freedom of expression when in power. She said Rahul Gandhi had “no moral right” to speak on the issue, recalling the Emergency period imposed by the Congress, during which, she alleged, freedom of expression was crushed.

The release stated that several films were prevented from being released during Congress rule, citing the Tamil film Kuttacharithiram, which was allegedly stalled for over a year. It further accused the Congress of suppressing public voices during the anti-Hindi agitations in Tamil Nadu.

Soundararajan also said Rahul Gandhi should watch Parasakthi, claiming the film highlights the Congress party’s alleged anti-Tamil stance during the anti-Hindi agitations. She further accused the Congress-DMK-led UPA government of failing to prevent the killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka, calling it ironic that Rahul Gandhi speaks about Tamil culture.

Referring to the arrest of actor Allu Arjun by the Telangana government following crowd control issues during the screening of Pushpa 2, Soundararajan said the incident reflected Congress governance. She concluded by quoting a Tamil proverb, likening Rahul Gandhi’s comments to “the devil preaching the scriptures.”

Her remarks came after Rahul Gandhi extended support to the Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan and criticised the Centre following the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) decision to withhold the film’s certification, calling it an attack on Tamil culture.

In a post on X, the Congress leader said, “The I&B Ministry's attempt to block Jana Nayagan is an attack on Tamil culture. Mr Modi, you will never succeed in suppressing the voice of the Tamil people.”

The CBFC had withheld certification for Jana Nayagan, citing scenes that could hurt religious sentiments. However, the Madras High Court, through a single-judge bench, initially directed the censor board to grant the film a U/A 16+ certificate.

Subsequently, the producers of Jana Nayagan, KVN Productions LLP, moved the Supreme Court seeking an ex parte interim stay on the High Court order that stalled the film’s certification process.

ALSO READ: Yunus regime is supporting radicals in Bangladesh: Rokeya Prachi

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Youth Congress has demanded a ban on Sivakarthikeyan-starrer Parasakthi, alleging that the film distorts historical facts and maligns the Indian National Congress and its leaders.