Udta Punjab row: Pahlaj Nihalani acting on BJP's instructions, says AAP

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today refuted Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani's allegations that AAP has given money to the makers of the film 'Udta Punjab' to show the state in bad light, saying his statement indicates that he has stopped the film on "BJP's instructions".

AAP also claimed that Nihalani has got the coveted post not on the basis of his credentials but for his allegiance to BJP.

"Pahlaj Nihlani's statement makes it amply clear that he has stopped the film on BJP's instructions," Kejriwal said in a tweet.

"Udta Punjab Censored. What else could one expect in Modi regime? What will you eat, say, read, see or say, will be decided by RSS and Modi ji. Very scary.

"Punjab's youth has been ruined due to drugs. Punjab's truth should come in front of everyone," he said.

The Abhishek Chaubey-directed movie is in the thick of a censorship row and while its makers are battling with the board, political parties have alleged that Nihalani acted under the direction of Punjab government.

One of the producers, Anurag Kashyap, has slammed the Censor Board and its chief for allegedly demanding 89 cuts in the film, besides asking them to drop the word 'Punjab' from the title and the movie.

Taking a potshot at Kashyap, Nihalani claimed he has heard that the filmmaker had taken money from Aam Aadmi Party to show Punjab in bad light.

AAP leader Dileep Pandey said in a press conference that "Nihalani used to make third grade films. He considers Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his action hero and is close to BJP. But for that he would not even have been in the Censor Board, forget being its chief."

"These allegations have been levelled without any basis and the government cannot ask Enforcement Directorate to probe if AAP gave any money to the filmmakers," he said.

Party leader Ashish Khetan alleged that Nihalani is acting as a "puppet" in the Prime Minister's hands and the film has been stopped due to "political" reasons.

Nihalani, earlier in the day, claimed that he was not under any political pressure from Punjab government over the release of 'Udta Punjab'.