Opposition parties including DMK, Congress, and CPI(M) charged BJP with trying to pressure the producers.
A day after seeking removal of certain dialogues from actor Vijay's latest film Mersal portraying untruths about Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's policies digital India and GST, BJP national secretary H Raja on Friday launched a scathing attack on the actor by asking him to clarify his tax details.
In a series of tweets on Friday, Raja wrote, "When can we expect clarification on Vijay's tax evasion."
"It's a lie that healthcare is free in Singapore. School education and healthcare are free for the poor in India. Mersal is Joseph Vijayan's opposition to Modi," he tweeted referring to a dialogue in the actor's movie.
In a scene in Mersal, where Vijay says people in Singapore get free treatment although the country charges only 7 per cent GST, whereas people are charged 28 per cent GST in India, but still don't get free treatment. In another scene, the movie takes a swipe at the digital India policy.
BJP's state unit president Tamilisai Soundarajan was the first to seek the removal of scenes referring to the GST and digital India. "They intentionally want to criticise the central government... They cannot appreciate efforts of PM Modiji," she said.
On Friday, Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan urged the film producer to remove some statements regarding GST from the film. Another senior BJP leader L Ganesan also hit out at the actor, pointing out, "It has become a fashion to criticise the government and become popular. But people and nationalists who know the government's good work will not believe it."
Opposition parties including DMK, Congress, and CPI(M) charged BJP with trying to pressure the producers.
With the BJP calling for cuts, Vijay's father and film director SA Chandrasekhar said, "Censor board has members of all parties and it's reviewed by them. If there is something objectionable they will inform. Once approved by the board no one can criticise the board's decision."
Hitting out
BJP secretary H Raja asked Mersal actor Vijay to clarify his tax details in response to a dialogue in the movie that compares India to Singapore over GST and says Singapore is better as it provides free healthcare for all.
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