Amid Padmavati outrage, Chouhan vows to build a memorial for ‘Rashtramata’

The BJP leader has also decided to launch an award in the name of Queen Padmavati.

There seems to be no end to the politics over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmavati, which has big names from Bollywood like Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. Amid the controversy over the movie, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced that a memorial of Maharani Padmavati will be built in Bhopal.

Referring to Queen Padmavati as Rashtramata, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader has also decided to launch an award in the name of the queen. People working for the betterment of women will be conferred with the “Rashtramata Padmavati Puraskar”.

This comes a day after the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said that he would not allow Padmavati to be released in the state without making changes in the scenes that allegedly hurt the sentiments of the Rajput community.

Chouhan said that any distortion of historical facts will not be tolerated.

"We will not tolerate any distortion of historical facts. The entire country is speaking in one voice that historical facts were distorted," he said.

"If there are scenes breaching the honour of queen Padmavati, then the movie will not be allowed to be exhibited on the land of Madhya Pradesh," Chouhan said addressing members of the Rajput community at his residence here.

He said queen Padmavati "is a true reflection of the Indian woman."

"We have been studying about the rare sacrifice and dedication of queen Padmavati since our childhood," he noted.

The chief minister said a memorial of the queen would be constructed at a site in the state capital, where a memorial for the country's brave soldiers has been proposed.

Earlier, several delegations of the Rajput community arrived from different parts of MP and submitted a memorandum to the chief minister demanding a ban on the release of "Padmavati" in the state.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje have also maintained a similar stand on it. They have said that the film will not be allowed to release in theatres if there's any distortion of historical facts.

(With PTI Inputs)