The Mayawati government on Tuesday withdrew permission granted for a grand show to promote Big 'B' starrer 'Aarakshan', for which the millennium star Amitabh Bachchan and his co stars Deepika Padukone, Manoj Bajpai and Prateek Babbar were to arrive in Lucknow on Wednesday.
'Apprehension of breach of peace' was described as the official reason for the sudden U-turn by the state administration, which had earlier formally granted the necessary permission for the event, planned almost a month ago.
Bachchan along with director Prakash Jha was slated to hold discussion with students to promote the upcoming film at a leading educational institute.
"Well, we were constrained to cancel the permission for the programme following intelligence reports about the possibility of street protests that could have threatened peace and tranquility in the state capital", Lucknow Additional District Magistrate Ram Singhasan Prem told mediapersons on Wednesday evening.
He said, "The Republican Party of India and Swaraj Party had already announced their plans to stage street protests and demonstrations in the state capital against the exhibition of the film."
'Aarakshan' has also invited the ire of the National Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission, that had issued a notice to Prakash Jha, the film-maker. The film's protagonists burnt effigies of commissioner chairman P L Punia.
With such protests and counter protests, the Maya administration found it convenient to say 'no' to the event aimed at giving a boost to the movie, whose theme goes against the fundamentals of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party.
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