‘Fake propaganda’: Congress as BJP tweets ‘Accidental Prime Minister’ trailer

The ‘Accidental Prime Minister’ trailer begins with Sonia Gandhi appointing Singh as the Prime Minister after the 2004 elections. The focus is the power dynamics between Gandhi and Singh, with present Congress president Rahul Gandhi presented as the successor in-waiting.

The Congress on Friday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party after the ruling party tweeted the trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister, a film about Manmohan Singh’s tenure as prime minister between 2004 and 2014.

The Congress on Friday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party after the ruling party tweeted the trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister(ANI/Twitter)

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday refused to comment on the trailer that is set up a huge political row between the Congress and the BJP.

“This is a BJP game, they know five years are about to complete and they have nothing to show to the people so they are using these tactics to divert attention,” PL Punia, Congress MP told news agency ANI.

The trailer of the film, which was released on Thursday, shows Anupam Kher playing Singh and Akshaye Khanna his media adviser Sanjay Baru, who also wrote the book from which the film gets its name.

The book –The Accidental Prime Minister: Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh – too had kicked up a political storm, claiming the PM was ‘defanged’ after the 2009 polls with Congress president Sonia Gandhi deciding cabinet portfolios against Singh’s wishes.

 

The trailer begins with Sonia Gandhi appointing Singh as the Prime Minister after the 2004 elections. The focus is the power dynamics between Gandhi and Singh, with present Congress president Rahul Gandhi presented as the successor in-waiting.

Click here to watch The Accidental Prime Minister trailer

It is a narrative that has received much attention in the BJP’s campaign for the recently-concluded elections.

So after the trailer was released, the BJP also tweeted the trailer, describing the movie as a “riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years.”

Congress party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala hit back, calling it fake propaganda and an attempt to diversion tactic.

“Such fake propaganda by BJP won’t desist @INCIndia from questioning the Modi Govt on - Rural Distress, Rampant Unemployment, Demonetisation Disaster, Flawed GST, Failed Modinomics, All pervading Corruption!,” he said.

Asked, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore told reporters that there was nothing unusual about a political party appreciating a movie. “Can’t we extend our wishes for a film? Congress has been all for freedom, why is it questioning that freedom now?” he said, according to news agency ANI.

Anupam Kher, who plays Manmohan Singh in the movie, wondered why everyone was protesting now when the book had been out there since 2014.