Eye on Rajputs, parties in Rajasthan united in silence on Bhansali attack
CM Vasundhara Raje, who acted tough against similar acts of vandalism during the Jaipur Art Summit and also refused to bow down to the RSS-VHP over the demolition of temples, chose not to act against the SRKS.
Union Cabinet Minister Giriraj Singh said ‘Padmavati was being insulted as she was a Hindu. (PTI Photo)
Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has found support from an unlikely quarter, with BJP MP Sonaram Chaudhary condemning the violence against Bhansali and his crew over the shooting of the film Padmavati. Chaudhary is one of the few political leaders — and the only one from the ruling party — to have taken a stand in favour of the filmmaker amidst almost total political silence across party lines in Rajasthan, where the Rajput community holds considerable political and social clout.
Since Bhansali and his crew were attacked by volunteers of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena (SRKS), major political parties and their leaders have either remained silent or extended support to the SRKS against the filmmaker. The state unit of the Aam Aadmi Party went so far as to withdraw a statement condemning the attack on Bhansali, minutes after issuing it.
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who acted tough against similar acts of vandalism during the Jaipur Art Summit and also refused to bow down to the RSS-VHP over the demolition of temples, chose not to act against the SRKS.
Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, while expressing concern over people taking law in their hands, said the government would investigate if someone complained.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Choudhary, a Jat leader, said, “There are institutionalised ways of registering dissent. You can’t just go and slap someone like that. It is complete hooliganism.”
Clarifying this was his personal opinion, he added, “History does not belong to one caste.”
In the Congress, the only person to criticise the attack so far is former chief minister Ashok Gehlot. “I condemn the violent attack on film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. It is unfortunate. Such violence has no place in civil society,” he tweeted soon after the incident, among the first political leaders to react.
State Congress president Sachin Pilot has been guarded, taking care not to offend the SRKS while accusing the state government of not acting in time to prevent the altercation. “First of all, nobody should take the law into their hands. Violence is never a solution. Secondly, films, popular culture strongly impact people’s sentiments as well as opinions. So these issues need to be dealt with sensitivity. There is always a middle ground that can be agreed upon,” he told The Indian Express.
“But what is condemnable is that the state government was found napping through the entire incident. They did nothing to mediate or prevent this scenario despite several representations from the community. On top of that, BJP leaders like Giriraj Singh have tried to communalise the issue for narrow political ends in view of the UP elections,” he added.
Giriraj Singh, a Union Cabinet minister, said Padmavati was being insulted as she was a Hindu.
Senior Congress leaders such as Vishvendra Singh, of the erstwhile Bharatpur royal family, and Pratap Singh Khachariwas, a Rajput, have come out strongly in support of the SRKS.
At the national level, senior party leader Digvijaya Singh has backed the outfit, agreeing with its charge against Bhansali .
AAP leader Ummed Singh claimed they withdrew the statement criticising the attack as it had not been issued through proper channels. He added, “If you are showing the heritage of a place, ensure that you respect its history as well. We believe it’s a publicity stunt. Both the filmmaker and Karni Sena got free publicity.”
A state Congress leader admitted that the party couldn’t afford to antagonise the Rajputs. “UP elections are right here. Even otherwise, Rajputs comprise a substantial vote bank here,” he said.
According to former OBC commission member Satyanarayan Singh, Rajputs form about 7 to 10 per cent of the population. During the last Assembly and parliamentary elections, the community — traditionally seen as BJP supporters — voted for the party in a huge majority.
Another Congress leader said the onus lay with the BJP government. “Well, we did say that history should not be distorted. And as far as the law and order problem goes, the state government completely failed to mediate between the Karni Sena and the filmmakers. Beyond that, issues like the Padmavati one and the one related to Taslima Nasreen are controversial. So it is best to not take sides,” the leader said.
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