- NEW DELHI, India
Accusing a private television channel of attempting to change the country's history, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member in the Upper House of Parliament Sept. 5 demanded a ban on the airing of TV serial "Jodhaa Akbar."
Najma Heptulla of BJP said the serial aired on Zee TV attempts to tinker with the history of the country, just as the British attempted to do so.
She said the serial "Jodhaa Akbar" projects Akbar as a tyrant who had forcibly kept Jodhaa by making her helpless.
Appreciating the 2008 film with the same title that promoted national integration, she said the TV serial in question tries to change history and would leave a bad impression on the minds of children.
"I expect a ban on the serial," she said, adding that children who watch it would see it to be different from what they are taught in history books.
"There is a need to send good messages through this powerful medium of television," Heptulla said as she named several "good" TV serials that depict the lives of Shivaji, Maharana Pratap and Tipu Sultan.
"Is it not the responsibility of the government to ban it (Jodhaa Akbar')?" she questioned.
Heptulla was supported by Shivanand Tewari of Janata Dal-United (JD-U), who also demanded a ban on the serial and charged it with trying to change history. Hussain Dalwai of Congress also supported the demand.
Ravi Shankar Prasad of BJP said, "We all respect the freedom of creativity, but as far as national icons are concerned, we all agree that their image should not be disturbed."
As many members supported the issue, Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien said, "I think the government should have a mechanism to screen and scan all these things and see that nothing anti-national is shown (on TV)."
This prompted Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla to say that he would convey the sentiments of party members to the Information and Broadcasting minister and request him to take necessary steps in this direction.
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