Padmavati row: Haryana BJP's chief media coordinator announces Rs 10 cr bounty to behead Deepika, Bhansali

As the row over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmavati gathers steam, Haryana BJP’s chief media coordinator SP Amu on Sunday said he will quit the party if needed and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exercise his powers to strike down film.

#WATCH:Haryana BJP Chief Media Coordinator SP Amu says will quit BJP if needed,asks PM to exercise his powers to strike down film #Padmavati pic.twitter.com/h2x76mdAKb

— ANI (@ANI) November 19, 2017

Amu also mentioned the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections 2017 and said the people in the state will decide whom to vote based on the Centre’s action against the film. Amu also came out in strident support of those who threatened the filmmakers and the actors. He said he would like to congratulate a Meerut youth who announced a Rs 5 crore bounty for beheading Deepika, Bhansali, adding that he will reward the ones beheading them, with Rs 10 crore, and also take care of their family’s needs.

In his address to protesters, Amu  said that he will not allow the film to be released at all. Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje has said that the film might be released with ’necessary’ edits. Amu added that people from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, other regions of the country have gathered to protect and uphold their traditional values. “If someone insults our ancestors and our history, we will not tolerate that,” the BJP media coordinator said.

Amu also took a jibe at the Centre’s inaction over the controversy and asserted that the Rajput community had a major contribution towards sustaining the BJP’s rule. “To win elections, they used the Rajputs, and now, Rajputs are the ones being insulted,” he announced.

There have been several other voices from the BJP calling for a ban on the Bhansali film and threatening violent measures.

On 10 January, Haryana minister Anil Vij claimed that he will not let a film that 'distorts historical facts' release in the state.

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy has also alleged that Padmavati has sourced its funds from Dubai from parties who want to ‘defame Hindu women.’

BJP member Arjun Gupta has also echoed a similar allegation.  The Indian Express reports that in a letter written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Gupta has demanded Bhansali be tried for ‘treason’.

Earlier,  BJP MLA from Hyderabad T Raja Singh had taken to Facebook to protest the film’s release, saying that theatres screening Padmavati will be set ablaze.

As the controversy over ‘Padmavati’ shows no signs of abating, the makers of the film on Sunday said they are “voluntarily deferring" the film's release .