Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday evening harassed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for boycotting actor Deepika Padukone’s upcoming film ‘Chhapak’ after students of Jawaharlal Nehru University joined the protest.
Prakash Javadekar, in response to questions asked about the actor’s visit to the university last evening, said, “This is a democratic country … Anybody, any artist can go anywhere and put their views.”
Several BJP leaders and activists were angered by Deepika Padukone’s decision to join the opposition of the left-wing JNU Students Union against the attack on students at the university on Sunday evening.
Within minutes of the visit, Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga asked followers to retweet his post about the boycott of the film.
Deepika Padukone’s upcoming film ‘Chhapak’ after students of Jawaharlal Nehru University joined the protest.
It was against this backdrop that many on Twitter applauded Deepika Padukone for demonstrating the courage to take a stand in favor of a possible backlash.
When asked about the call boycott of BJP leaders, Prakash Javadekar said, “I too am in the party and a minister … I am not saying so”.
The senior BJP leader, besides handling the weighted portfolios of the Ministry of Environment, Heavy Industries and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is one of the BJP’s two points for the Delhi elections to be held next month. It was against this backdrop that many on Twitter applauded Deepika Padukone for demonstrating the courage to take a stand in favor of a possible backlash.
However, the minister has in the past few days blocked attempts by JNU student leaders to block the registration process for students. “This is not related to an educational search,” the minister said, underlining that there is no place for violence, especially on campus.