Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge took a dig at prime minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party Tuesday, asking the former to not take credit for the success of 'RRR' and 'Elephant Whisperers' at Monday's Oscars ceremony.
Kharge, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said the films - the first a Telugu production and the second a Tamil short - were the 'contribution of the country'.
Read here: 'More glory to India': Hema Malini congratulates ‘Elephant Whisperers’ and 'RRR' on winning Oscar
"My request is that the ruling party should not take credit that we (the BJP) have directed, we (the BJP) have written the poem… or Modiji has directed this film. They should not say that… (it) is only my request. It is the contribution of the country," Kharge said Parliament.
Kharge's remarks came as union minister Piyush Goyal, in the Rajya Sabha, flagged the fact that the 'RRR' scriptwriter -V Vijayendra Prasad - had been nominated to Parliament by the Modi government. His remark was met with criticism from opposition MPs.
{{/usCountry}}Kharge's remarks came as union minister Piyush Goyal, in the Rajya Sabha, flagged the fact that the 'RRR' scriptwriter -V Vijayendra Prasad - had been nominated to Parliament by the Modi government. His remark was met with criticism from opposition MPs.
{{/usCountry}}The Congress' Jairam Ramesh said the occasion called for a collective celebration and not the narrow, partisan point-scoring he claimed Goyal had attempted. Samajwadi Party leader and actress Jaya Bachchan said, "It does not matter if they're from north, east, south or west, they're Indians."
Earlier this week Modi congratulated 'RRR' and 'The Elephant Whisperers'; he said the 'Naatu Naatu song 'will be remembered for years' and that the short film highlighted the importance of sustainable development and living in harmony with Nature.
Read here: ‘Global rise’: Rajya Sabha members congratulate Indian Oscar winners
'RRR' and 'Elephant Whisperers' returned from the Oscars with two high-profile wins - Best (Original) Song for the former's 'Nattu Nattu' and Best Documentary (short), respectively.
The wins were met with jubilation across creative and political divides, although it did also prompt a petty swipe from singer Adnan Sami, who objected to Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy declaring Telugu's flag was 'flying high' after the Oscars win.