Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday backed his party colleagues offering free movie tickets of Deepika Padukone-starer 'Chhapaak', saying it was their gesture to support the actress for showing her solidarity with JNU students.
The Congress does not want that the movie be boycotted by the BJP as a "punishment" for standing with students, Tharoor said.
"So, we are showing solidarity to her by giving tickets to college students. We do not want anyone to be boycotted because of showing courage to stand with the students," he said in a press conference.
A section of BJP leaders, including South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri, have given a call to boycott the movie after Padukone made a surprise visit to the Jawaharlal Nehru University on Tuesday to express solidarity with students attacked by a masked mob.
Delhi Congress leaders arranged a special screening of the movie for students in Daryaganj area here on Friday.
"We bought all the 920 tickets of the 2-pm show. Around 800 students watched the film. Deepika stood with our students. Now it is our turn to support her," Congress leader Alka Lamba said.
The movie has been declared tax-free in Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
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