'The Accidental Prime Minister' shows BJP's frustration in face of imminent defeat in 2019: Amarinder Singh

The much-anticipated trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister has led to a heated argument between the Centre and opposition parties ever since it emerged on the internet. Meanwhile, giving a further boost to the controversy, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday said the BJP's attempt to criticise former prime minister Manmohan Singh shows their desperation and frustration in the face of imminent defeat in the Lok Sabha election 2019. Starring Anupam Kher in the lead role, The Accidental Prime Minister is based on a controversial piece by former prime minister Manmohan Singh's media advisor Sanjaya Baru.

In a statement, Singh further alleged that the BJP's attempt to project Manmohan Singh as a "weak and docile" prime minister is "not only childish but brazenly politically motivated". It is a mere political stunt by the party and a "desperate" effort to undermine the Congress ahead of the general elections next year.

Showing confidence in BJP's defeat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the chief minister further said the BJP needed to accept that they had lost the support of people and it cannot be earned back by doing "cheap politics".

Read | Anupam Kher on Manmohan Singh film: ‘This film deserves Oscar nomination’

"Even the worst critics of Dr Singh could not find fault with him and the BJP was merely using the movie ... as a pawn in a futile attempt to undermine the Congress in view of the upcoming parliamentary elections," Singh was quoted as saying in the statement.

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh: Trailer of #AccidentalPrimeMinister which was tweeted from BJP's official twitter handle & promoted by its leaders to criticize Dr Singh clearly shows their desperation & frustration in the face of imminent defeat in upcoming Lok Sabha elections pic.twitter.com/tDggMxmIbb

— ANI (@ANI) December 30, 2018

Reacting strong to the controversial storyline of the biopic, the Congress leader said he himself was a witness to the "total independence" Manmohan Singh received from then Congress president Sonia Gandhi, "who did not believe in interfering in government matters". The trailer of "The Accidental Prime Minister" suggests that Manmohan Singh was a victim of the Congress's internal politics ahead of the 2014 general elections.

Read | The Accidental Prime Minister Trailer: 5 dialogues that will blow your mind

"Unlike the BJP, the Congress believed in allowing its leaders and members to run their own affairs as they deemed fit," Amarinder reiterated.

"This was particularly true in the case of Dr Singh, whose elevation to prime ministership was in itself an indication that the party had complete faith in his abilities and capabilities," he added.

On Manmohan Singh, Amarinder said the former prime minister is a "great economist, an independent thinker and decision maker, who had created a niche for himself as one of India's most intelligent and visionary leaders".         

Manmohan Singh is a "world-class leader in his own right. The nation will forever remain indebted to the former prime minister for leading it to new heights of global eminence through his far-reaching decisions. If India became a global economic superpower, the credit goes to Dr Singh", the Punjab chief minister concluded.

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Apart from Anupam Kher, The Accidental Prime Minister starts several other well-known figures of the industry, including Akshaye Khanna, Suzanne Bernert, Aahana Kumra, Arjun Mathur in pivotal roles. Helmed by Vijay Gutte, the political drama is scheduled to hit the theatres on January 11, 2019.