The row over the Israeli director and IFFI international jury chairperson Nadav Lapid controversial comments on the film “Kashmir files” reverberated across India’s political landscape on Tuesday.

The BJP compared   Lapid’s condemnation of the movie to the denial of the Holocaust while the Congress called it as an “embarrassment” saying hate eventually gets called out.

BJP leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma  slammed   criticism of The Kashmir Files at IFFI, saying, “Jury members aren’t god. We found the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ to be nice and promoted it.”

“We have seen ourselves what happened in Kashmir, what authority do they (jury members) have to slam the movie,” news agency ANI quoted Sarma as saying on Tuesday.

BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya compared Lapid’s condemnation of “The Kashmir Files” to the denial of the Holocaust.

“For the longest time, people even denied the Holocaust and called Schindler’s List a propaganda, just like some are doing to the Kashmir Files. Truth eventually triumphs, no matter what,”  he said.

His colleague, BJP’s Goa spokesperson Savio Rodrigues, said Lapid’s statement “is an insult to the horrors faced

by Kashmir Hindus (in the past)”.

“You can critique a film artistically but to term the truth about the brutality faced by the Kashmiri Pandits propaganda is shameful,” he added.

 On its part,  the main opposition Congress   attacked  the Government  and said “ hate  gets called out, eventually”.

“PM Modi, his Govt, BJP, the RW ecosystem feverishly promoted ‘The Kashmir Files’. A movie rejected by International Film Festival Of India. Jury Head Nadav Lapid called it ‘propaganda, vulgar movie - inappropriate for the film festival’,” said Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate.

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi shared a video link of the Israeli filmmaker’s speech where he criticised “The Kashmir Files”.

“A sensitive issue of justice for Kashmiri Pandits was sacrificed at the altar of propaganda. This is a must listen segment at the #IFFIGoa2022,” Chaturvedi said.

Her party colleague Sanjay Raut supported Lapid’s and said  the film has been politicised after its release and has caused more Kashmiri Pandits to suffer.

“It’s true about the Kashmir Files. There was propaganda by one party against another. A party and Government were busy with publicity. But a maximum number of killings in Kashmir occurred after this film. Kashmir Pandits, security personnel were killed,”  Raut said.

Actor Swara Bhasker, known for her views against the Government, shared a link to the news story about Lapid’s remarks at the closing ceremony of the film gala.

“Apparently it’s pretty clear to the world ..” Bhasker  who  is also known as AAP backer wrote in the caption.

Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina said Israeli director Lapid’s remarks on ‘The Kashmir Files’ reflected his lack of knowledge about the ground situation in the Union Territory while filmmaker Ashok Pandit demanded a probe into his appointment.

“He (Lapid) should first visit the camps of displaced Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir. Such remarks are only expected from a person who does not know the ground situation and how people, irrespective of their religion, have suffered because of terrorism,” Raina  said in Jammu.

“Most likely, he (Lapid) made such a statement on the instigation of someone. He should visit the victims of terror -- both Pandits and Muslims -- and feel their pain,” Raina said, welcoming the statement of Naor Gilon, Israel’s envoy to India.