DMK, NCP approach election authorities to seek ban on Narendra Modi biopic: Reports
The film will be released on April 5, a week before the elections begin.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has approached the Election Commission to seek a ban on the biopic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi until the end of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, The Hindu reported on Thursday.
PM Narendra Modi will be released on April 5, a week before the elections begin on April 11. The last phase of the elections will be held on May 19 and the results will be declared on May 23.
PS Arasu Bupathi of the DMK’s engineering wing wrote to the chief election commissioner, the chief electoral officer and the Tamil Nadu election commissioner, saying the film is party-oriented. The film will impact the outcome of the elections as it shows Modi’s political lifestyle, Bupathi said.
The Nationalist Congress Party’s cultural wing also raised an objection with election authorities in Maharashtra, reported Pune Mirror. The party sought a ban on the film’s trailers on social media and TV channels.
“This is a biopic and an attempt to influence voters,” said Babasaheb Patil, the head of the NCP’s Literature and Cultural Wing. “We have reported this to the administration as this is a violation of the election code of conduct. We have also sent warning letters to the producers, distributors, administrators and filmmakers.”
The film features Vivek Oberoi as the prime minister through various stages of his life – including his early years with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and his long stint as chief minister of Gujarat – leading up to his party’s victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
On March 15, the Goa unit of National Students’ Union of India had also urged the Election Commission to ban the film’s screening in theatres during the 48-hour silence period before a voting day, ANI reported.