Haryana BJP leader Suraj Pal Amu trained his gun on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for welcoming 'Padmavati' director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his team to her state, drawing an angry retort from the Trinamool Congress. Amu, who is up in arms against the release of the Hindi film, addressed a large gathering of the Rajput community in Bhondsi village in Gurgaon. The gathering, which was also attended by Karni Sena president Lokendra Kalvi, unanimously decided to prevent the screening of the film in entire Haryana.
"We have urged the Haryana chief minister to imposed a ban on the film in Haryana. We will make sure that the film is not screened in any city of the state. No one has courage to release the film here. Mamata Banerjee should understand and respect the sentiments of the Rajput community. She should roll back the decision to release the film in her state and not test our patience, " Amu said.
According to a Trinamool Congress leader, the Haryana BJP leader also threatened that Banerjee would meet the same fate as Surpanakha, the sister of demon king Ravana in Hindu epic 'Ramayana'. Surpanakha nose was cut off by Lakshman in the epic.
Banerjee yesterday said that she would welcome 'Padmavati' director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his team to the state and make special arrangements for the film's premiere and release. Banerjee's statement came just days after she tweeted that the row over the film was a "calculated plan" to destroy freedom of expression in the country.
Amu was booked by the Gurgaon police for his remarks and the BJP distanced itself from the comments and issued a show- cause notice to him. Amu later said he had made the remarks in his personal capacity and that he would resign if his party asked him to but would not tolerate any "insult" to his community.