Somit Sen | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; March 21, 2010)

Mumbai: Chief minister Ashok Chavan on Saturday said he had not promoted SRK’s film My Name is Khan and was only doing his duty of ensuring that its release in Mumbai was safe.

He was reacting to an editorial in the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece, Saamna, on Saturday, which slammed him for deploying 22,000 policemen to ensure the safe release of the movie. Saamna said that the ATS in Gujarat had recently interrogated terrorists who confessed that MNIK was being used propaganda material by terrorist organisations.

“The film shows the insulting situations faced by Muslims and how they are given step-motherly treatment by other communities. This is being used as a propaganda to instigate Muslim youths to take up jihad,’’ it stated.

Chavan said he was seeking details of the findings of the Ahmedabad ATS. “I have nothing to do with the promotion of the film. It is my duty as a chief minister to provide security to every film which is cleared by the censor board,’’ he said.

“We are grateful to the people of Maharashtra for reposing faith in the government and coming to cinema halls to watch the movie despite threats,’’ he added.

Meanwhile, the Sena has demanded that the government should levy entertainment tax on IPL cricket matches. “We are losing out on crores of rupees as revenue while the IPL organisers are making huge profits,’’ said Sena group leader Subhash Desai. Chavan said the decision was “still under consideration’’.

“We will discuss the issue with cabinet members and legislators soon,’’ he said.