New Delhi, December 28: The trailer of Anupam Kher starrer The Accidental Prime Minister was released on Thursday. The Accidental Prime Minister that revolves around the life of former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh is based on the book of the same name written by Sanjaya Baru, Singh’s advisor. While the film apparently is a propagandist cinema, netizens were taken by surprise when the official Twitter handle of the BJP promoted the trailer.

Calling The Accidental Prime Minister trailer a riveting tale, the BJP shared it and made a veiled attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi. "Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM’s chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, based on an insider’s account, releasing on 11 Jan!" reads the tweet by the BJP. The Accidental Prime Minister Trailer: Anupam Kher as Dr Manmohan Singh Will Make You Debate If He Was a PM or a Pawn - Watch Video.

The rare promotion of a movie by the BJP did not go well with netizens who accused the party of making personal attacks and called The Accidental Prime Minister propaganda to malign the Gandhi family ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “When the official handle of the largest and ruling political party of India promotes a film... What do you call it? Propaganda,” one tweet said. “Subtlety isn’t our forte now, is it BJP?” Anupam Kher Starrer The Accidental Prime Minister Banned in Madhya Pradesh - Read Details.

"When was the last time BJP India’s official handle promoted trailer for a movie?" asked another user. "Clearly this movie is intended to malign opposition before 2019 elections. If only they could come up with the trailer before Rajasthan [and] MP elections," the tweet said. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also called The Accidental Prime Minister trailer 'fake propaganda' and said: "it will not stop Congress from questioning Narendra Modi’s government on rural distress, unemployment, demonetisation, the Goods and Services Tax, and corruption."

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, however, defended the film and slammed the Maharashtra Youth Congress for raising objections. "Why does Congress want to censor a film when the book it is based on was published way back in April 2014? Just because fewer people read books than watch a movie? Where are the champions of free speech and expression? Stand up for artistic freedom!" he tweeted.

Helmed by debutant Vijay Gutte and written by Hansal Mehta, The Accidental Prime Minister is slated to release on January 11, 2019.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 28, 2018 10:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).