The Shiromani Akali Dal today asked the AAP Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Mr. Arvind Kejriwal to accept his party's role in making of the film 'Udta Punjab' as his own tweets to welcome Balaji CEO Sumeer Nair has exposed the truth that the producer is an active member of the Aam Admi Party. The party also described that ongoing controversy and the making of the film as a deep rooted conspiracy to defame the state and Punjabis.Addressing a press conference here at the party head office today, the SAD Secretary and Spokesman and Punjab Education Minister Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was crying hoarse about not having any link with the producers of Udta Punjab, stood exposed before the world with the CEO of Balaji Films turning out to be a senior member of the AAP communication wing.Punjab Chief Minister's advisor on National Affairs and Media Mr. Harcharan Bains and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister's Media Advisor Mr. Jangveer Singh was also present on the occasion. Describing the development as shocking, SAD secretary & spokesman and Education Minister, Punjab Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema said the disclosure that Balaji telefilms CEO Sameer Nair was a senior member of the AAP communication wing had exposed the hollow claims of the party that it had nothing to do with the film. "Now there is conclusive evidence that an active AAP member had a major role in the production of Udta Punjab", he added.
Stating that AAP owed an explanation to Punjabis, Dr Cheema said the party should come clean on the issue. "You (AAP) have held press conferences recently to claim you were speaking in favour of the producers of Udta Punjab to safeguard freedom of expression. Whose freedom of expression were you guarding, Dr Cheema asked AAP while stating the party had gone against all basic ethics by supporting a production house with which it had direct links through its CEO.The SAD leader said Mr Sameer Nair should also disclose whether he had made an internal disclosure to Balaji Films that he was a member of AAP. He said this was very important because if Mr Nair had made this disclosure Balaji could have kept him out of the production team. "But apparently this did not happen and that explains why Mr Nair is part of the production team of Udta Punjab and has the most important operational position in this team", Dr Cheema added.
Urging the AAP to stop defaming the Punjabis, the SAD leader said that the AAP leadership was all out to prove Punjab as a heaven of drugs He said that it was strange that AAP's one point agenda is to prove every Punjabi an addict and its ultimate aim to grab power in the state. He said that this mode of politics is highly condemnable. He said that the SAD has no objection if the AAP uses its logo in the film certifying it as its own project and also names party leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Sameer Nair as its producers.Urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to convene an all party meeting on the issue, Dr. Cheema said that though a mechanism is there to get approvals first for every mode of campaigning after implementation of code of conduct for the elections, it is first time that such an attempt is made to defame the state and its natives by making three hour films by financing them. He said that this new methodology used before one year of the polls also needs to passed through regulations and a broad census should be evolved by convening an all party meeting. When asked that if the government is contemplating ban on the movie, Dr. Cheema strongly denied it and said that it is the people of the state who will decide the fate of the movie once the High Court and CBFC clears it. He reiterated that the SAD is a strong advocatory of right to expression and freedom of speech. He said that SAD was the first to launch agitation on the this freedom and freedom of media during the emergency in 1975.Lashing out at Punjab Congress Chief Captain Amarinder Singh for his announcement to launch pre censored CDs of the film, Dr. Cheema said that it was highly shameful that a senior leader like his promoting films which has a vulgar, shameless, indecent and abusive language in its dialogues. He said that from his announcement it appears that he had already viewed the film and is fully supporting it only to malign the Punjabis.
Dr Cheema said the recent developments had also proved that the contention of the SAD that politics was being played on the issue of drugs was correct. He said the party had been maintaining all along that AAP and the Congress were both making outlandish claims that 70 to 78 per cent of the population of Punjab was taking drugs. "Now it has been proved that these lies were part of a vicious propaganda authored by both these parties with the sole purpose of maligning the SAD-BJP government to capture power in Punjab. Now these parties are faced with the task of explaining to Punjabis why they cooked up these lies. As a proud Punjabi I sincerely hope they have the good sense to apologise for their actions. But that would be expecting to much from these parties who believe only in falsehoods and malicious propaganda. They will meet their match against proud Punjabis who are understanding what they are doing and will teach them a lesson at the hustings", he added.