Taking U-turn from earlier decision to exempt latest Bollywood movie ‘The Kerala Story’, the Madhya Pradesh Government has withdrawn its previous order. The action attracted wide criticism from various sections, including questions on Government move if it is within legal ambit of the State Government to grant tax exemption to a movie.

Reacting sharply on the Government’s decision to roll back exemption within 24 hours, Congress said the Shivraj Singh Chouhan Government has rolled back its decision to give a tax-free status since it was under ‘A’ certified category movie, ie, meant for adult only viewers.

Such movies do not fall under tax exemption category, K K Mishra, Media Incharge of the State unit of the party. He said as per rules, films with an ‘A’ certificate from Censor Board cannot be exempted from entertainment tax.

This was the reason why the State Government has withdrawn tax exemption to the movie. Senior Congress leader Vivek Tankha also tweeted that an ‘A’ certified movie cannot be given tax exemption.