Chennai: Amid a raging controversy over Kamal Haasan's 'Vishwaroopam', Tamil Nadu Government on February 1 said filmmakers should show "due respect" for sensitivities of people while making films like 'Dam 999' and warned it will "not spare anybody who tries to whip-up communal passions." In his address to the Tamil Nadu Assembly in its first session for the year, Governor K Rosaiah said timely interventions by the government to ban release of sensitive films like 'DAM 999' had avoided law and order problems.
"Timely interventions to ban the release of sensitive films having the potential to disturb peace like 'Dam 999' has averted serious law and order problems that could have engulfed the state. I urge the filmmakers to show due respect for the sensitivities of the people while making such films and avoid hurting public sentiments," he said.
The Supreme Court had recently upheld a state government ban against the Sohan Roy-directed movie, banned in the wake of the Mullaperiyar stand-off with neighbouring Kerala. The governor's announcement came a day after Chief Minister Jayalalithaa defended the ban of Haasan's Tamil movie 'Vishwaroopam' which had courted controversy following opposition by Muslim groups which considered certain scenes offensive to their community.
Breaking her silence, Jayalalithaa had offered to facilitate an amicable settlement if Haasan and Muslim groups come together. The film, made in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, was earlier slated to hit the screens on January 25. The Governor also said the state government will not spare anybody "who tries to whip up communal passions."
"Land grabbers, anti-social elements and organisations that threaten public order have been severely dealt with," he said. Opposing the draft National Water Policy 2012, which lays emphasis on the pricing of water besides setting up of an authority to fix water tariff, the governor said the state government considered it to be an "infringement" on the powers of the state governments.
"Water is a state subject and states should have the freedom to take decisions with regard to their water resources... the pricing of natural resources like water is a highly sensitive matter, particularly for agriculture, since it affects the lives of millions of farmers and the State must necessarily adopt a cautious approach," he said. The governor reiterated the state government's demand for inter-linking of peninsular rivers.
On the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, he said rehabilitation measures taken up by the island government "are not proceeding as expected," and reiterated the June 2011 resolution passed by the Assembly demanding economic embargo on Colombo.
Earlier, DMK boycotted the Governor's address and its Legislature Party Wing Leader MK Stalin read out a statement as the Governor was proceeding with his address while the AIADMK MLAs constantly kept thumping the desks, virtually making him inaudible.
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