Nagpur: BJP MLC Parinay Fuke on Wednesday raised strong objections in the Maharashtra Legislative Council over the portrayal of politicians as villains in web series and films, demanding that the state government establish a mechanism to regulate such negative depictions.
Speaking during the session, Fuke — a close confidant of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis — said, “Almost all web series and films nowadays show politicians in a negative light, often as the main villains. This tarnishes the image of public representatives who are sincerely working for society. The government must intervene to stop this trend.”
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Responding on behalf of the government, Cabinet Minister Ashish Shelar said that while freedom of speech is a fundamental right and any direct censorship would not be appropriate, the government does not endorse malicious targeting of any profession, including politics.
“We cannot impose a ban as it would infringe on constitutional rights. However, deliberately maligning a profession creates a wrong perception in society. The Censor Board is already in place to monitor objectionable content. We are open to discussing these concerns with the board and other stakeholders,” Shelar said.
He further informed the House that there is already a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) through which any citizen can lodge a complaint about objectionable content in films or digital media.
Fuke, however, pushed for a more proactive approach. He urged the state to establish an independent committee to study and monitor how political leaders are portrayed in audio-visual content and suggested launching a public awareness campaign to showcase the positive work done by politicians for public welfare.
“While we respect freedom of expression, there should also be accountability and a system of checks to prevent misuse that harms the image of elected representatives,” he added.
