Akhilesh Yadav accuses BJP of targeting communities in film title controversy

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of deliberately misusing individuals from a community to target and insult that very community, alleging a pattern of political conspiracy behind the ongoing controversy over a film title.

Referring to the row over a film titled Ghooskhor Pandat, Yadav said the BJP first fuels outrage and later stages “fake action” when the controversy escalates. While he stopped short of naming the film in his remarks on social media, he described its title as “extremely demeaning”.

“The BJP has always conspired to misuse some people from a community against that community itself. Through this, it singles out and humiliates a particular section,” Yadav said in a post on X. He alleged that the party sometimes acts through provocative statements, at other times through official notices, and in some cases by backing advertisements, publicity material or films. “When the issue blows up, it sheds crocodile tears and pretends to act, while being inwardly pleased at the insult and oppression of the targeted community,” he claimed.

Explaining his refusal to mention the film’s name, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said doing so would further the BJP’s alleged objective of showing contempt for the community concerned. He added that the film should not be released even if its title is changed, arguing that only financial losses would deter the making of such films.

“This is not about creative freedom or freedom of expression,” Yadav said. “It is about creative responsibility. How can a film driven by prejudice and designed to hurt the sentiments of a particular community be described as entertainment?” He maintained that freedom of expression cannot be justified if it undermines the dignity and reputation of others.

The controversy erupted earlier this week after the announcement of the film’s title, which many politicians and social media users described as casteist. Director Neeraj Pandey and lead actor Manoj Bajpayee issued a clarification, saying there was no intention to hurt sentiments.

On Friday, the Centre asked OTT platform Netflix to remove the teaser and promotional material of the film from social media. Acting on the directions of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh Police also registered an FIR against Pandey over allegations of insulting a particular community and promoting enmity.

Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati also condemned the alleged insult to the Brahmin community in the film and demanded an immediate ban on caste-based content.

With PTI inputs