Bhubaneswar: The fight among Ollywood stars over ban on actor Manoj Mishra that spilled over to political field on Saturday got further complicated on Sunday with BJP demanding immediate withdrawal of the ban.
A day after senior leader of Congress Narasingha Mishra warned of division of Odisha due to intolerant attitude of the actors of coastal region, BJP MLA Nauri Nayak condemned the ban on Manoj who belongs to western Odisha.
“The ban on Manoj reflects the real colour of the coastal people. They are jealous of the success of any person from western Odisha. The actors from coastal Odisha are unable to accept the success of Manoj’s film Mind Game,” he said.
Condemning the ban on Manoj, he demanded immediate withdrawal of the 2-year ban imposed by Utkal Cine Chambers of Commerce (UCCC).
Another BJP MLA, Mukesh Mahaling, also came out in support of Manoj and came down on other actors supporting the ban. “Actor Anubhav Mohanty, who has accused Manoj of creating a division among actors, should refrain from making such statements and the producers’ association must withdraw the ban,” he said.
It may be noted that senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra on Sunday accused the coastal actors of discriminating the actors from western Odisha.
Alleging that the people of Coastal Odisha and the state government have always been discriminating western Odisha, Mishra threatened that such discrimination has fanned secessionist sentiment and formation of separate Koshala state.
“From a High Court bench to an agriculture university and now actors from Western Odisha, all are ignored and sidelined by the coastal Odisha lobby. Unfortunately, the government remains a silent spectator to the whole issue and never heeds the demands of Western Odisha. In fact, the government wants western Odisha to remain neglected,” Mishra said.
Meanwhile, actor Arindam Roy has appealed to Manoj to resolve the matter by holding discussion with other actors. “It is a matter of Odia film fraternity. Let us resolve it among ourselves,” he said.
Stating that the film industry is poised to take a leap with producers and investors from outside evincing interest in Odisha, he said, “As a younger brother, I request you to end the dispute. Let us all sit down together and sort the things out among ourselves. Since it concerns the actors, the political leaders do not have a role in it.”
Also Read: Ollywood Star War Intensifies: Narasingha Mishra Warns Of Division Of Odisha, Kuna Tripathy Reacts
