MUMBAI: The Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) , a farmers advocacy group in Vidarbha region, urged the government on Saturday to ban the film 'Peepli Live', saying that it hurts the sentiments of farmers in Maharashtra.

VJAS president Kishor Tiwar has dashed off a letter to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan urging him to ban the film. “The film should be immediately banned as it is hurting sentiments of lakhs of distressed and debt-trapped farmers of Maharashtra who are being forced to commit suicide due to wrong policies of Indian Government ,” Tiwari said.

In a statement issued from Nagpur, Tiwari said: “‘Earlier, TV serial ‘Bairi Piya’  shown that debt-trapped vidrabha farmers are selling daughters for clearing the debt, now ‘Peepli Live’ has shown Natha, a poor farmer from Peepli village in the heart of rural India is about to lose his plot of land due to an unpaid government loan.  His quick fix solution to the problem is the very same government’s programme that aids the families of indebted farmers who have committed suicide.”

He further adds: “farmer Natha can choose to die..... and further, it is shown that his brother is happy to push him towards this unique ‘honour’ . This is totally untrue, twisted from the ground reality and is an insult of poor millions of dying farmers of vidarbha who are the victims of globalisation and wrong policies of the state hence we are disturbed .”

He said that VJAS respects the social commitment of Aamir Khan and other part of movie exposing the reality behind media houses, politicians, bureaucrats and their apathetic approach towards problems and shocking truth that India promotes itself as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. “But the film shows the miserable condition of farmers who continue to end their lives after living in extreme poverty.”, Tiwari said.