A BJP leader has filed a complaint here against Bollywood film director Ram Gopal Varma for controversial remarks against NDA presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.
"If DRAUPADI is the PRESIDENT who are the PANDAVAS? And more importantly, who are the KAURAVAS?" Varma tweeted.
Reacting to this, Telangana BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy filed a complaint against the director at the Abid Road Police Station, accusing him of disrespecting the SC and ST community.
"This tweet is tantamount to disrespecting the SC and ST people. Here, he calls 'Draupadi' the President. If he would have only mentioned Draupadi, Pandavas and Kauravas, we would have had no objections. We, the BJP workers, are hurt at such comments from RGV," Reddy told ANI.
He requested the police to register a case under the SC/ST Atrocities Act and demanded severe punishment for the director.
BJP-led NDA on Tuesday announced former Governor of Jharkhand Draupadi Murmu's name as a Presidential candidate for the upcoming elections.
Reddy further defended the senior tribal politician and former Governor of Jharkhand, by saying, "She has been nominated by the NDA government, and by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi ji."
Murmu is the first major tribal female Presidential candidate in India's history. Once elected, she will be the first tribal President of India and the second-ever female President. Also, she could become the first President from the state of Odisha.
Expressing his angst over Ram Gopal Varma's statements, the BJP leader added, "Here in this case, the police have promised us that they will take stern action against RGV, and after which, I don't think he will again tweet or make such a nasty statement against anyone."
The BJP leader submitted the tweet along with the complaint, as evidence to the police.
However, Ram Gopal Varma later clarified his intentions over the tweet, claiming that it was made in 'earnest irony' and was 'not at all intended to hurt anyone's sentiments.'
Adding to his previous controversial statement, his tweet read, "This was said just in an earnest irony and not intended in any other way ..Draupadi in Mahabharata is my favourite character but Since the name is such a rarity I just remembered the associated characters and hence my expression. Not at all intended to hurt sentiments of anyone."
Meanwhile, Goshamahal BJP MLA T Raja Singh also expressed his anger at Ram Gopal Varma's comments against the NDA's Presidential nominee, saying that the director posts such tweets in a 'drunken condition'.
"Varma always tries to be in the news by making such controversial comments," he added.
However, this is not the first time Ram Gopal Varma has been a part of controversies on social media.
In April, amidst a Twitter war between Ajay Devgn and Kichcha Sudeep, over Hindi being the national language, director Ram Gopal Varma had jumped into the controversy saying "north stars are insecure and jealous of the south stars."
( With inputs from ANI )
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