Lucknow: Amid all the threats and attacks that Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his film Padmavati has been faced with, now, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that if those announcing bounties for Bhansali’s head are wrong, then the director himself is also wrong.

Adityanath’s comment has invited opposition Samajwadi Party to hit out at the chief minister saying the government is trying to “hide its failures by raking up the Padmavati issue”.

Speaking to ETV in Gorakhpur on Tuesday, CM Yogi Adityanath said, “The Censor Board should respect the sentiments of the 22 crore people of UP. We have already written to the Centre to point out the issues with the film. If announcing a bounty on Bhansali’s head is wrong, then Bhansali is also wrong on his part.”

This comes just days after UP Deputy Chief Minister, Keshav Prasad Maurya had said that the government would not allow the film’s release in Uttar Pradesh, unless the “controversial scenes” are not removed.

The UP government asked the Centre to defer the release of the movie on December 1 as it could lead to a law and order situation in the state.

In a letter written to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, the UP government said that the film’s release might cause disruption in the state, as the counting of votes for municipal elections is also scheduled on the same date, along with the festival of Barawafat.

While the film’s producers have already made an announcement to voluntarily defer the release, Maurya still announced that he will not let the film release in the state until the “controversial scenes” are removed.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Sunil Singh Sajan, in reaction to Adityanath’s statement, said, “We support the fact that history should not be distorted in any way, but at the same time it looks like CM Yogi Adityanath is trying to hide his failures by raising the Padmavati issue unnecessarily.”

Sajan added, “He is talking about sentiments of 22 crore people, but is Padmavati the actual issue that these 22 crore people in Uttar Pradesh are bothered about? People only want the BJP to fulfil the promises that the party made. People are more concerned about unemployment, transport, electricity, law and order and illegal mining which are rampant in the state these days.”

The Samajwadi Party leader also feels that once the point is made, rest should be left for the censor board to decide what is wrong and what is right.

He said, “It looks like the CM now will now monitor all movies that are released in the state. In such a case, I would request the censor board to induct our chief minister as he will also get to see the films. People who are protesting should have a firm belief in our censor board, which is an able body in itself and takes care of the sentiments of the 125 crore population and not just 22 crore.”