Mumbai, Sep 10 (PTI) NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Thursday said the National Film Awards ceremony should be held in New Delhi only as it is the country’s capital, a statement coming in the wake of the government’s decision to shift the event to Gujarat this year.
She also alleged that there could be an attempt to reduce the importance of Delhi and Mumbai as various key events, including Cricket World Cup matches and visits by foreign heads of state, were increasingly being held in Gujarat.
The National Film Awards ceremony will move out of Delhi to Kevadia in Gujarat with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the honours on September 22.
Kevadia, which has been renamed Ekta Nagar, is home to the world’s tallest statue — that of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The Statue of Unity, as it is named, stands at 597 feet and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.
Talking to reporters here, Sule said, “For the first time in the 72-year history of the country, the National Awards are being held in Gujarat. Our view is that national awards should always be presented in Delhi. Things that are at the national level should remain at the national level.” “When major programmes are held in Delhi, they should be held in Delhi itself. That is why they are called national programmes, because Delhi is the national capital of the country. If it is a national programme, it should be held in the national capital. How can it be held somewhere else?” the Baramati MP said.
She also said that events such as Cricket World Cup matches and visits by foreign heads of state were increasingly being held in Gujarat.
“This could be an attempt to reduce the importance of Delhi and Mumbai. The possibility cannot be ruled out,” the NCP (SP) working president said.
On the issue of languages, Sule said both Marathi and Hindi were important and that people should learn as many languages as they wanted.
“Marathi and Hindi are both our languages and people should know both. Learning more languages is a good thing. But no language should be imposed on anyone. If someone wants to learn Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil or Telugu, it is a good thing,” she said.
Reacting to Union minister Nitin Gadkari’s remarks that he felt ashamed that the Mumbai-Goa highway had still not been completed and that he would not attend its inauguration, Sule said his statement showed his sensitivity as a leader.
“This is the greatness of Gadkari saheb. He is saying this as a sensitive leader of Maharashtra and the country. We respect his sentiments. His statement came from the heart because he works from the heart,” she said.
On the drought-like situation and farmer suicides in Maharashtra, Sule recalled the farm loan waiver announced during the UPA government.
“When the NCP-Congress government was in power, under the leadership of Manmohan Singh and when Pawar saheb was the agriculture minister, a Rs 70,000 crore farm loan waiver was announced. Manmohan Singh himself came to Maharashtra and there was a major change,” she said.
She appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to visit the affected areas, prepare a report and seek a complete farm loan waiver from the Centre. PTI MR NP
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