Can’t have gag orders on drives like #BoycottBollywood: Anurag Thakur

Thakur was in Chembur as part of the Lok Sabha Pravas scheme rolled out to achieve 45 Lok Sabha seats from Maharashtra.

Mumbai: The Union Information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur said on Monday that there can’t be gag orders on the drive like #BoycottBollywood as we live in a democracy which gives us freedom of expression. He, however, said that everybody should take due precautions to ensure there was no bitterness spread.

Thakur will visit the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday. He said that both the constituencies (Kalyan, Central Mumbai) will be fought together with their alliance Balasahenchi Shiv Sena which is a ruling partner in the state. “Every party has the right to strengthen itself at ground level. We will fight the polls in alliance in the state as we have been with our earlier partner.” (PTI)

Thakur was in Chembur as part of the Lok Sabha Pravas scheme rolled out to achieve 45 Lok Sabha seats from Maharashtra. He had met office bearers, elected representatives and state officials to review the implementation of the central schemes.

Speaking in a press conference, Thakur ruled out any possibility of mechanism to curb drive like #Boycott Bollywood. “We are living in a democracy. Everyone has the right to speak. One should ensure that there was no bitterness spread,” he said.

He was reacting to a question based on the social media drive #BoycotBollywood. The representatives of Bollywood had expressed unhappiness over the drive and urged the government to stop the drive. Thakur too had expressed his unhappiness over the drive.

Thakur will visit the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday. He said that both the constituencies (Kalyan, Central Mumbai) will be fought together with their alliance Balasahenchi Shiv Sena which is a ruling partner in the state. “Every party has the right to strengthen itself at ground level. We will fight the polls in alliance in the state as we have been with our earlier partner.”