The Shiv Sena on Saturday slammed the State government for stalling the screening of the film Marathi Tigers at Shinoli, a border town in Kolhapur. The film has courted controversy as it dwells on the 60-year-old border dispute over the inclusion of Karnataka’s Marathi-speaking people into Maharashtra.
Soon after the film was banned in Belgavi in Karnataka, the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti backed by the Shiv Sena organised a screening of the film in Shinoli on Wednesday. But the Chandgad tehsildar and magistrate banned it citing law and order problems.
However, late on Thursday, the film was cleared for release even as the Shiv Sena put up hoardings hailing those killed in police firing over the prolonged boundary dispute as ‘martyrs’.
‘Murder of democracy’
A scathing editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamna linked the issue with the constitutional crisis in Arunachal Pradesh. Citing the Supreme Court’s observation that courts cannot remain silent if democracy is being slaughtered, the editorial said: “If the apex court feels the imposition of President’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh was hasty and a murder of democracy, then the murder of democracy is a daily occurrence, especially in Belgavi, Karwar, Bhalki, Nipani and other places on our border. But neither the courts nor the temples of democracy take cognisance of the screams there.”
The editorial said that though Karnataka stalling the release of the film was expected, Maharashtra’s action sprang a surprise. “The decision by the tehsildar of Chandgad in Kolhapur to stall the movie must have been celebrated in Karnataka by bursting crackers. The Maharashtra government has strangled the voice of its own Marathi brethren.”
The editorial also questioned the double standards of the BJP government which, it said, is going all out to welcome Pakistani artistes like Ghulam Ali. It said that security was being stepped up for such visits and efforts made to restart bilateral dialogue, but no attention was being paid to the grievances of the Marathi-speaking populace.
“Twenty lakh Marathi people live in the border areas, including Belgavi. For the past 60 years, they have launched a democratic struggle for inclusion in Maharashtra. Is that a crime?” the editorial asked.
‘Act of intolerance’
“After Rohith Vemula’s suicide in Hyderabad, politicians of all hues went there to shed tears, but no one tries to understand the agony of those affected by the boundary dispute. A simple Marathi movie is not allowed to be released because it shows the struggle of the people impacted by the boundary dispute. Now, nobody is talking about freedom of expression? Congress is targeting the Modi government with ‘intolerance’, but isn’t the Congress government in Karnataka stalling the release of Marathi Tigers an act of ‘intolerance?’”
Actor Amol Kolhe, who stars in Marathi Tigers , told The Hindu, “In Shinoli, the local administration has allowed only one show owing to constant pressure from authorities in Karnataka, who claim that they fear law and order problems if the film is released in Maharashtra. But, there is an overwhelming response to the film. The tent where the film is being screened can accommodate about 500 people, but over 3,500 people attended the first show yesterday. Now people are requesting for four shows of the film. But the film has not been allowed to be released in Belgavi.”
