BJP SEEKS PERMISSION TO AIR TWO AKSHAY KUMAR FILMS ON NAMO TV, DELHI POLL BODY WRITES TO THE ELECTION COMMISSION

The fact that Akshay Kumar shares a good rapport with PM Narendra Modi is not a secret anymore. While his association with Modi goes back a long way, things seemed to have only strengthened after his recent interview with PM Modi. Now, given the heat of the election wave, the BJP is looking to cash in on that relationship. According to officials, the BJP has sought permission from the Electoral Office of Delhi to broadcast two of Akshay Kumar movies – PadMan and Toilet - Ek Prem Katha – on NaMo TV. As a response to the request, the Delhi poll body has written to the Election Commission of India to seek clarity on whether it can certify those two films because they have been already cleared by the CBFC.

It was in the month of April that the EC ordered that all recorded programs that will be broadcast on NaMo TV have to be pre-certified. Last week, the Bharatiya Janata Party filed for the pre-certification of both PadMan and Toilet – EK Prem Katha to the media certification and monitoring committee of Delhi’s Chief Electoral Office. An official from the Delhi poll body told PTI, "We have written to the EC, seeking clarity on this because the movies have already been released. The reply from EC is awaited on whether we can certify the films again when they already have the certification of the Censor Board.” The official further added that they now await clearance from EC.

As of now, BJP has filed for 308 applications to the Delhi poll body to clear its ads. Congress, on the other hand, has given 120 applications and AAP 23.

In its manifesto, BJP has promised to provide easy access to all the reproductive and menstrual health services to women across the country. With the expansion of BJP’s ongoing Suvidha scheme, sanitary napkins at an affordable cost of Re 1 shall be provided to all women and girls and Akshay Kumar’s film PadMan is on similar lines. The film chronicles the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist from Tamil Nadu, who fought in eradicating all the taboos surrounding the menstrual hygiene and created a low-cost sanitary napkin machine.

Toilet – Ek Prem Katha, starring Akshay Kumar, is based on the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, an initiative by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make toilets accessible to every Indian.

SOURCE