BJP MP demands action against makers of Panipat movie

BJP's Lok Sabha member Sanjay Bhatia on Wednesday raised the issue of alleged misrepresentation of Jat ruler Maharaja Surajmal in Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Panipat', demanding "action" against the makers of the movie. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lower House, Bhatia said film makers are trying to be historians and distorting facts.

Panipat district falls in Bhatia's constituency Karnal. He claimed Maharaja Surajmal never lost a battle in his life and facts about him have been misrepresented in the picture.

Another BJP MP Ranjeeta Koli from Bharatpur in Rajasthan also raised the issue. Two MPs from Rajasthan had raised the issue on Tuesday too, demanded ban on the movie.

Several theatres in Jaipur, meanwhile, stopped screening of Gowariker's 'Panipat' on Monday, amid criticism by Jat groups and political leaders, including various states' ministers, over portrayal of Maharaja Surajmal. The Rajasthan government has sought a response from film producers over objections to the movie.

The movie is based on the Third Battle of Panipat fought between the Maratha empire and Afghan king Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761. PTI JTR ACB RAX

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