Jana Nayagan movie release row: Congress leaders criticise delay of censor board clearance for Vijay-starrer

Congress leaders, on Tuesday (January 8, 2026), criticised the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for not granting a censor certificate to the Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan, describing the move as an attack on freedom of expression and as an instance of the growing politicisation of statutory institutions.

In a social media post, Virudhunagar Congress MP B. Manickam Tagore said the Modi government was responding to a lack of public confidence in RSS-backed narratives by attempting to control cinema and creative expression. He said Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression, but this right is being systematically weakened through fear rather than law.

Mr. Tagore alleged that institutions such as the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), the CBI and the Income Tax department have been turned into tools to silence dissent, and the CBFC has now been added to that list. He said institutions meant to protect democracy were being reduced to instruments of intimidation, while BJP–RSS propaganda is promoted as culture.

Karur Congress Member of Parliament S. Jothimani also criticised the denial of certification to Jana Nayagan. She said that a film is created through the hard work of hundreds of people and investments worth crores of rupees, and attempting to block it in this manner is completely against creative freedom. She said blocking films for political reasons is especially dangerous.

Referring to her experience as a former member of the censor board, Jothimani said the institution has become outdated in the present technological era and that it is increasingly being used as a political tool and that such misuse must be firmly opposed.

Praveen Chakravarty, chairperson of the All India Professionals’ Congress and the Chairman of the Data Analytics department, referring to a tweet by Rahul Gandhi in 2017, said that nearly nine years ago, the Congress leader had warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi against undermining Tamil culture and pride by suppressing Tamil cinema, but the warning has been ignored, with the Centre once again insulting the Tamil people by deliberately withholding a censor certificate for Jana Nayagan and blocking its release.