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Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Diljit Dosanjh finds fans across parties in Punjab, even as ‘barred' film climbs the charts
THE bitterness of the Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll still in the air, leaders of the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and BJP have found common cause in Punjab – in singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh. As producers of Dosanjh's latest film Sardaar Ji 3 skip releasing it in India due to the controversy generated over his co-star Hania Amir being a Pakistani – with calls also made to revoke his citizenship – Sikh leaders across the three parties have called the treatment of the artist, one of India's largest global music icons, unfair. BJP leaders were, in fact, the first to come to Dosanjh's defence. Soon after the Federation of Western India Cine Employees announced a 'ban' on the actor-singer for starring opposite a Pakistani, and demanded that his citizenship be cancelled, BJP national spokesperson R P Singh said, 'Diljit is not just a celebrated artiste, he is a national asset and a global ambassador of Indian culture. If there is anguish, it can be expressed through a boycott or by urging that the film not be screened in India. But attacking Diljit's patriotism and demanding such an extreme step is simply irrational.' Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu, who has been critical of Dosanjh in the past, said: 'Why should we discredit or damage such a person who has made a name for Punjab and the turban in the whole world? Has he become Pakistani by working with Pakistani actors? It is an unwanted controversy.' Voices of support next came from the Congress, which has been silent on the issue, wary of an 'anti-national' blowback from the right-wing. In a statement, the party's Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said: 'Diljit Dosanjh… took the Indian and Punjabi culture to global platforms like Coachella and Met Gala. Let us respect our own artists….' AAP leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said: 'Diljit Singh Dosanjh has brought recognition to the Punjabi language both in India and abroad. Artists and writers belong to everyone. Those targeting Diljit are making a vile attempt to build a wall of hatred between art and artists – an attempt that will never succeed as long as humanity believes in love.' The producers of Sardaar Ji 3 have defended the film, pointing out that it was wrapped up well before the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor – a stand also taken by Dosanjh, one of the producers. Another producer, Gunbir Singh Sidhu, said they risked an estimated 40% hit in revenues in not releasing the film in India, but were doing this so as to not hurt anyone's sentiments. So far, that does not seem to have hurt Sardaar Ji 3 much, with the film on course to becoming a superhit, including in Pakistan. The political leaders speaking up for Dosanjh, all of them Sikhs, have, incidentally, not called for allowing the film's release in India. Within the Punjabi film industry, this has triggered worries about an impact on the growing market for it abroad, particularly in Pakistan. For around a decade, Punjabi movies have managed to skirt the highs and lows of India-Pakistan ties and found a release in Pakistan even when Indian movies were officially banned. Sardaar Ji 3 followed other Punjabi movies in featuring Pakistani artists. The Indian Express reported earlier about the success of Carry on Jatta 3 in 2003, in the footsteps of more than two dozen Indian films that opened to packed theatres in Pakistan, despite a ban on the screening and telecast of Indian films in Pakistan since 2016. This is not the first brush with controversy for Dosanjh, who has taken positions that have at different times run foul of both the Left and Right. For example, he openly supported the 2020 farmers' agitation against the BJP-led Central government, and clashed with now BJP MP Kangana Ranaut on X over the same. If that was seen as a patently anti-BJP stand, Dosanjh surprised many by dropping in to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the end of his hugely successful Dil-Luminati world tour on January 1 this year. After the meeting, Modi hailed Dosanjh as 'truly multifaceted, blending talent and tradition'. That triggered speculation that the meeting could smoothen the course of Dosanjh's film based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, among those who 'disappeared' during the years of militancy in Punjab amidst a crackdown by the authorities. The film, Punjab 95, has been stuck with the Censor Board for almost three years now, with the producers refusing to make the reportedly 127 cuts ordered by the authorities, starting with the use of the name Khalra. Since the Congress was in power in both the state and at the Centre when the events featured in Punjab 95 took place, the party has stayed away from the row. A BJP leader, refusing to be identified, said there had been discussion within the party on the issue. 'But we have not formed any opinion yet.' Punjab 95 is Dosanjh's second film based on the militancy period. The first, Punjab 1984, also raised the issue of human rights violations, though the characters were fictional. Incidentally, while its release in 2014 was smooth, in June 2020, Bittu, who was then an MP of the ruling Congress in Punjab, had urged CM Amarinder Singh to file an FIR against Dosanjh over the song Rangroot in the film. Dosanjh was also the lead in the critically acclaimed Chamkila, released last year, about a Dalit Sikh singer, which had tangential links with the militancy period. This time, pro-Khalistan sympathisers slammed him, for glorifying a singer who allegedly sung vulgar songs and showed militancy 'in a bad light'. Dosanjh, for his part, continues to stand by his choices. Despite the row, he has shared on social media photos of Sardaar Ji 3's success in Pakistan, including one that featured people watching Hania Amir on screen. Earlier this week, he shared a video of himself from the sets of Border 2 – the much-awaited sequel to the 1997 superhit film based on the India-Pakistan war of 1971. There were calls to drop Dosanjh from the film after Sardaar Ji 3. The video of the actor twirling his moustache as he got off a vanity van has put paid to that talk.
The Print
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Punjab: Over 33 polling till 1 pm in Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll
District Election Officer Himanshu Jain said voting is going on peacefully. Amid tight security, the polling began at 7 am and it will continue till 6 pm. The counting of votes will be held on June 23. Ludhiana, Jun 19 (PTI) A voter turnout of 33.42 percent was recorded till 1 pm in the bypoll for the Ludhiana West Assembly in Punjab on Thursday. Jain asked voters to set a new record of turnout by coming out in massive numbers to cast their votes. He said polling will continue until the last voter is present inside the polling station. The Ludhiana West Assembly seat fell vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. There are a total of 14 candidates in the fray and 1,75,469 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise – 85,371 of them women and 10 belonging to the third gender. AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora exercised his franchise along with his family members. Before casting votes, Arora paid obeisance at a gurdwara, a temple and the Dargah Pir in Phillaur. Speaking to reporters, Arora appealed to the people to come out in large numbers to cast their votes. 'Please come out to vote and have maximum voting today,' he said. Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu, BJP nominee Jiwan Gupta and SAD's Parupkar Singh Ghuman also cast their votes. Ahead of the polling, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann appealed to voters to cast their votes. 'My appeal to the voters of Ludhiana West is that you must exercise your right to vote. You must fulfil your duty for the development and progress of your area. Do not consider today a holiday, definitely go and cast your vote,' Mann said in a post on X in Punjabi. A total of 194 polling stations have been set up with 100 per cent live webcasting of polling stations, officials said. Outside the entrance of polling stations, designated counters were set up for voters to securely deposit their mobile devices. These counters were managed by trained volunteers using jute or cloth bag mobile holders. 'In a first-of-its-kind initiative, all polling stations in Ludhiana West have made arrangements for safe mobile phone deposit aims to enhance the voter experience while at the same time upholding the secrecy of voting,' the chief electoral officer, Punjab said in a post on X. Polling stations were equipped with poll volunteers, wheelchairs and help desk to assist voters, said officials. The voting process is being monitored in real-time from the integrated command and control centre located at the district administrative complex. As many as 235 CCTV cameras have been installed at polling stations, said officials. The ruling AAP has fielded Rajya Sabha member Arora for the bypoll. Arora (61) is a Ludhiana-based industrialist and is also known for his social welfare work. He runs the Krishna Pran Breast Cancer Charitable Trust. The Congress has placed its bet on former minister and Punjab Congress working president Ashu (51). Ashu had been MLA twice from this seat in 2012 and 2017. He was defeated by Gogi by a margin of 7,512 votes in the 2022 Assembly polls. The BJP candidate is a member of the core committee of Punjab BJP. He was earlier the party's state general secretary. The Ludhiana West bypoll is seen as a litmus test for Mann and the ruling party's national leadership which aggressively campaigned to retain this seat. The bypoll's outcome will throw light on the popularity of the AAP regime's policies and programmes among urban voters in the constituency. Stakes are also high for the Congress as it would want to wrest the seat, which it had won six times in the past. Prestige is at stake for the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal in the bypoll as well. PTI CHS VSD DV DV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Indian Express
04-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Why rumblings over ‘dummy CM Mann' are growing louder within Punjab AAP?
The discontent within the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab seems to be growing with a section of its leaders accusing their Delhi leadership of 'parachuting' some of their close aides into several government or party positions in the state. The rifts in the AAP have widened ahead of the crucial June 19 Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll. On Sunday, the AAP leadership removed Priti Malhotra as the Punjab party unit's women wing chief, appointing MLA Amandeep Kaur in her place. 'People from Delhi are calling the shots. Now, even we have started feeling that Chief Minster Bhagwant Mann is a dummy CM. If the situation prevails… the party will become history,' said Priti, who led a protest on Monday against 'Delhi (AAP leadership)'s interference' in the affairs of the Punjab party unit. The AAP leadership's action against Priti came days after she launched a campaign, called 'Yudh Delhi virudh (battle against the Delhi AAP leadership)', after the Mann government appointed Reena Gupta, the Delhi-based AAP national spokesperson, as the Punjab Pollution Control Board chairperson last month, which is among several similar appointments done recently. The AAP, however, seems to be unfazed with a state party leader saying 'it was good that Priti Malhotra was removed from her post'. 'When did you ever see her working?' he asked. A day after Priti's removal, the AAP's Dibra block president Inderjit Singh Moudgill also quit in protest against the party's policies. 'We have worked hard for the AAP and spent around Rs 10 lakh from my pocket to strengthen the party. It is sad that the AAP is now appointing leaders from Delhi in various positions in the Punjab government. We will go to Khatkar Kalan, Shaheed Bhagat Singh's native village, to atone our sins. We will seek forgiveness for failing to fulfil our promise of badlaav (change),' he said. The AAP also came under fire from its former Punjab spokesperson Iqbal Singh, who accused party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab party in-charge Manish Sisodia of allegedly 'taking control' of at least 10 government bungalows. 'I want to ask Sisodia, who calls himself a great education minister, if he set up even a single college in Delhi during his tenure. All they have been doing in Punjab is laying foundation stones of toilets… they have left us embarrassed,' he alleged. The appointment of Deepak Chouhan, an Uttar Pradesh native and senior AAP leader Sandeep Pathak's ex-personal assistant, as the Punjab Large Industrial Development Board chairperson and that of Delhi-based AAP leader Kamal Bansal as the Punjab Tirath Yatra Samithi chairperson have also upset the party workers. The appointments of Chouhan and Reena Gupta have also drawn flak from the principal Opposition Congress, with its MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira calling it a 'double blunder' and an 'insult to the AAP volunteers of Punjab'. 'This is nothing but the loot of Punjab's resources by outsiders who have no respect or love for the state. Both appointments clearly show Kejriwal wants to control the industry of Punjab through his henchmen. I demand an explanation from Bhagwant Mann as to why he's surrendering Punjab to outsiders. These blatantly wrong appointments should be scrapped immediately and eminent Punjabis should be appointed to these vital positions,' he said in a social media post last month. Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa sarcastically termed these appointments as CM Mann's 'masterstroke'. 'Deepak Chouhan — ex-PA to AAP backroom boss Sandeep Pathak, hailing from UP — is now Chairman of Punjab's Large Industrial Development Board. No industrial experience. Not Punjabi. Loyalty over merit. And yes, all perks funded by Punjabis' hard-earned taxes. Meanwhile, Reena Gupta — another non-Punjabi & former Delhi SEIAA member — is now chairperson of Punjab Pollution Control Board. Nepotism? No no… it's called Badlav,' he said in an X post on May 19. Another row recently erupted following the arrest of Jalandhar AAP MLA Raman Arora in connection with a corruption case. Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, the AAP MLA from Amritsar and once seen as the party's 'poster boy', has questioned the move. 'It is very surprising to hear about Arora ji's arrest as he is seen as the CM's family member and has often been seen hosting close members of the CM's family. Similarly, Health Minister Vijay Singlaji was arrested before the 2022 Sangrur bypoll but the case did not go to the courts,' he said in a social media post. Alleging that the AAP lacked a 'mentoring system' to explain mistakes to its leaders, Vijay Partap Singh said, 'This way, the credibility of the party and the government suffers while the Opposition directly benefits… Whatever the truth, we will continue to try and protect the credibility of the party as well as the government.' AAP's 'damage control' AAP spokesperson Neel Garg was not available for comments despite repeated attempts. However, a senior AAP leader, who requested anonymity, said national parties like the Congress and the BJP have always named their Punjab unit in-charges from other states too. 'Do they call them parachutes? When AAP appoints such office-bearers, it becomes a controversy.' Another senior AAP leader of AAP said all those being appointed were not 'outsiders'. 'We are better than former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who brought a gangster like Mukhtar Ansari to Punjab. We have brought able people, who will help the state with their expertise. Gupta is an expert on environment while Chouhan has been actively involved in Punjab politics for many years,' the leader added. The brewing dissent has also forced the AAP's social media wing to mount a damage control exercise. On Monday, AAP social media volunteers from the Malwa East zone gathered in Patiala to discuss the issue. According to party sources, a comprehensive strategy was formulated to 'counter the Opposition's false narrative while spreading the party's ideology among people through social media'. 'Training on modern tools and social media platforms was provided to the volunteers during the meeting. The Punjab leadership has issued clear instructions to propagate the state government's welfare initiatives on social media and counter the Opposition only with facts,' a source said.
