GST references in Mersal are untruths, remove them, says Pon Radhakrishnan

Chennai/Nagercoil: References to the GST in the just-released Tamil film "Mersal" starring popular actor Vijay have not gone down well with the BJP which Friday objected to what it termed "untruths" about the central taxation in the flick and demanded their deletion. Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan demanded removal of the "untruths" about the Goods and Services Tax, rolled out by the BJP-led NDA government on July 1, while his party colleague H. Raja claimed the film exposed Vijay's "anti-Modi hatred".

"The film producer should remove the untruths regarding GST from the film," Radhakrishnan told reporters in Nagercoil. He said wrong information should not be spread through cinema and actors should not confuse people using the medium and try to derive political mileage. His remarks came a day after the BJP's state unit made a similar demand, charging the filmmakers with making "incorrect references" about the central taxation. Hitting out at the references, state BJP president Tamilisai Sounderrajan had Wednesday said "Incorrect references have been made in 'Mersal' about GST... celebrities should desist from registering wrong information among people." Raja, the party's national secretary, in a series of tweets said the reference to GST only exposed Vijay's "lack of knowledge of economics". Contrary to claims made in the film, medical care was not free in Singapore, he said. "It's a lie that medical treatment is free in Singapore. In India school education and medial treatment are free for the poor. 'Mersal' is only Vijay's anti-Modi hatred," he charged in another tweet. "GST is not a new law," he added.