New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) after the Central Board of Film Certification reportedly ordered the filmmakers of the Phule movie to remove a few scenes.
Taking to X, Rahul Gandhi accused BJP and RSS of "censoring" the film, alleging that the government does not want to bring struggle of Mahatma Phule and Savitribai Phule on screen.
"On one hand, BJP-RSS leaders pay superficial tribute to Phule ji, and on the other hand, they are censoring the film made on his life! Mahatma Phule and Savitribai Phule devoted their entire lives to the fight against casteism, but the government does not want to bring that struggle and its historical facts on screen," Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.
"At every step, the BJP-RSS wants to erase Dalit-Bahujan history so that the real truth of caste discrimination and injustice does not come to the fore," Rahul Gandhi added.
Rahul Gandhi stark criticism came after CBFC ordered makers of Phule, a biopic on social reformers Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule, to remove a few scenes from the movie, that include caste-related terms, before its release.
The film was set to be released on Friday, on the occasion of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule's birth anniversary.
Meanwhile, Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi President Prakash Ambedkar staged a protest against CBFC in Maharashtra's Pune.
Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi President Prakash Ambedkar said that if the scenes of the movie are removed then the purpose of the film will be lost.
"If those scenes are removed from Phule, the purpose of the film is lost... We are raising our voice against the arbitrary actions of the censor board," he said.
Phule movie is directed by Ananth Mahadevan, the film stars Pratik as Jyotirao Phule and Patralekhaa as Savitribai Phule. The story highlights their fight against caste discrimination and gender inequality.
