Hours before his visit to Tamil Nadu’s Gudalur to attend the Golden Jubilee celebrations at St Thomas English High School, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi took to X to attack the Centre over the Central Board of Film Certification’s delay in issuing clearance for the release of the new Tamil film Jana Nayagan, starring actor-politician Vijay.
“The I&B Ministry’s attempt to block ‘Jana Nayagan’ is an attack on Tamil culture,” wrote Gandhi, adding, “Mr Modi, you will never succeed in suppressing the voice of the Tamil people.”
Vijay, who was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in Delhi on January 12 over the September 27 stampede during a Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) in Karur , did not respond to Gandhi’s message as of the time of going to print.
The Congress and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam began seat sharing talks in December last year. A DMK leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Gandhi’s statement was not necessarily intended as a public show of support for Vijay but as an attack on the BJP. “Even our leader (chief minister MK Stalin) has accused the BJP of using the CBFC as a political weapon.”
“There is nothing more to it than that,” he asserted firmly.
{{/usCountry}}“There is nothing more to it than that,” he asserted firmly.
{{/usCountry}}Later in the day, Gandhi shared the stage at the golden jubilee event with DMK deputy general secretary and Nilgiris MP A Raja.
“I want to help develop an India where people are kind, listen, and respect each other’s languages,religions, traditions. Of all this, the most important aspect I’ve concluded in my political career is humility,” he said in his address.