As many as 92 MLA of the opposition BJP in Maharashtra have signed a memorandum demanding entertainment tax exemption for the recently-released film ‘The Kashmir Files’. The memorandum was submitted by senior BJP leader and chairperson of Maharashtra Legislature Public Accounts Committee Sudhir Mungantiwar to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
A statement issued by BJP said that the film, which depicts the atrocities committed on Hindus by jihadis, has been well received by critics and the audience.
The film conveys sentiments of patriotism and nationalism and, therefore, should be made tax-free in the state, the party said.
BJP leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Monday had urged the Rajasthan government to make 'The Kashmir Files' tax-free. Raje said in a tweet that the film, "The Kashmir Files", based on the past situations and true events of Jammu and Kashmir, has been made tax-free in many states including Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat. "My request to the state government is to make this film tax-free in Rajasthan too," she said.
Written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Zee Studios, the film depicts the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir following systematic killings of people from the community by Pakistan-backed terrorists. It stars Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi among others.
Some of the other states have also exempted the film from entertainment tax including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana among others.
-PTI inputs
