Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday claimed Indian directors chose to make films on Hindu gurus, gods and warriors, and that they did not have the “guts” to make movies on other religions.

“Does Sanjay Bhansali or anyone else have guts to make films on other religions or comment upon them?” Singh said, according to ANI. “We will not tolerate this anymore.”

Singh’s comments refer to Bhansali’s film Padmavati scheduled for release in December. Several groups have been protesting against the film, claiming that it projects Rani Padmavati in a bad light.

In January, Bhansali was assaulted on the set of Padmavati in Jaipur in Rajasthan, after which the shoot was shifted to Maharashtra. The movie’s set in Kolhapur was set on fire in March.

On Friday, members of Rajput Karni Sena led a demonstration in Chittorgarh in Rajasthan demanding that the film should not be released. “We want Bhansali’s team [to] screen the movie for historians and intellectuals before releasing it as we are afraid and concerned that historical facts have been distorted in the movie,” Vishavbandhu Rathore, a member of the Rajput Karni Sena said.

On Thursday, the Bharatiya Janata Party wrote to the Election Commission demanding a stay on the release of the film ahead of the Gujarat elections.