NEW DELHI (IANS) — ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’, which explores Manmohan Singh’s tenure as a Prime Minister, on Friday released amid tight security as Congress activists protested at some places.
The Delhi Youth Wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal on Friday wrote to cinema halls urging them not to show ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ as the film will defame both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the country across the globe.
In a letter to cinema halls, Ramandeep Singh, President of Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi, Youth Wing, said such films are a “serious attack on the minorities by the anti-minority forces such as RSS.”
“The film deliberately demeaned the image of Manmohan Singh, the first Sikh Prime Minister of India, who is a world-renowned economist. The film will not only defame Singh but the country as well across the globe.
“It shows the most critical and important decisions taken by Singh, in the capacity as the Prime Minister on the issues like nuclear deal and Kashmir, were unconstitutional. This will send a very bad picture in the international realm.”
He said Manmohan Singh is shown as a week Prime Minister in the film.
“However, everyone knew that all parties, including the BJP and Akali Dal, had supported him on the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill. Such a strong PM is intentionally shown a week Prime Minister in this film.”
The film, released on Friday, is based on a book with the same title written by Sanjaya Baru, former Prime Minister Singh’s media advisor. Baru’s book was published in April 2014.
In Punjab’s Ludhiana city, the film’s screening was stopped in a multiplex following protests. The activists held a protest outside the Pavilion Mall following which the multiplex management did not start the show to prevent untoward incidents.
Local police and administration officials were present when the Congress protest took place.
The film was however, screened in multiplexes in Chandigarh, around 130 km from here.
In Kolkata, the screening of the film was cancelled at a theatre due to security reasons amid protest demonstrations by youth Congress activists, police said.
According to the viewers at the Hind Cinema near central Kolkata’s Chandni Chowk area, the show was cancelled after screening for just 10 minutes on its opening day.
“There was an agitation by a certain group outside the hall,” a senior officer of Kolkata Police said told IANS.