NEW DELHI, Nov 24: Superstar Aamir Khan today came under fire for his remarks of “growing disquiet” in the country because of intolerance as the BJP linked his statement to a “deep political conspiracy” of Congress to malign the country.
Khan’s colleagues in the film industry also vented their ire on the 50-year-old celebrated actor with one of them asking him why he did not talk of leaving the country during “worse times” earlier.
There were taunts at him that it was India that made him what he is today and why was he turning against it now but Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi defended him. Gandhi asked the Government to reach out to people instead of branding its critics as “unpatriotic, anti-national or motivated”.
An ambassador of ‘Incredible India’, a Government’s campaign to promote tourism, Khan was at the centre of a raging debate a day after he expressed “alarm and despondency” over the rise in incidents of intolerance in the last six to eight months.
“Kiran (his wife) and I have lived all our life in India. For the first time, she said, should we move out of India… She fears for her child, she fears about what the atmosphere around us will be,” the actor said yesterday in an interaction at the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism ceremony organised by the Indian Express.
The BJP fielded its national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain at a press conference in Mumbai to counter Khan.
“Where will Aamir and his family go other than India? There is no other better country like India and no better neighbour than a Hindu for an Indian Muslim. What is the situation in Muslim countries and Europe. There is intolerance everywhere,” he said.
“India is the most secular state where Muslims enjoy equal rights. In our country, an artist is not judged by his caste and religion but by his art,” he said.
Hussain also took a swipe at the Congress Vice President for coming out in support of Aamir Khan. He said there was a “deep political conspiracy” by the Congress to defame the country by harping on an atmosphere of intolerance in India .
“This shows Congress complicity in the campaign to malign the country. Congress cannot tolerate an elected Government and a popular Prime Minister. When the country is progressing under the leadership of Narendra Modi, Congress is creating an atmosphere to malign the country,” he charged.
Hussain said Aamir’s comments showed that he is not scared but is scaring others and the BJP rejects his charge.
BJP MP and Hindutva leader Yogi Adityanath took a swipe at Khan, saying nobody has stopped him from leaving India if he wants to and it will help reduce the country’s population.
Union Minister Smriti Irani also had a jibe at him, saying it was an evidence of the freedom of expression and tolerance that he can be a brand ambassador for a Government’s initiative and also be at a platform in front of ministers and speak his mind. He has a political inclination and it is his right to have it, she said.
Another Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said his comments on intolerance were completely misplaced and such remarks only bring the image of country and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi down.
BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli reminded Khan that his last movie ‘PK’ was a resounding box office success despite protests by right wing groups and it was an evidence of India’s tolerant society.
Defending him, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said what Khan has said in the presence of many BJP leaders is what the whole world is saying, all of India is saying and all right-minded people are saying.
Bollywood celebrities Anupam Kher, Ramgopal Varma and Raveena Tandon criticised Khan for his intolerance remarks.
Kher, who has shared screen space with Khan in a number of hits, hit out at him saying, “India has made him what he is”.
“Dear aamir khan, Did you ask Kiran which country would she like to move out to? Did you tell her that this country has made you AAMIR KHAN? Did you tell Kiran that you have lived through worse times in this country but you never thought of moving out?” he said.
Taking a dig at Aamir’s ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’ campaign and his popular TV show ‘Satyamev Jayate’, Kher questioned when did ‘Incredible India’ become ‘Intolerant India’ for him? “Only in the last 7-8 months?”
Varma, who directed Aamir in ‘Rangeela’, wrote, “Some celebs complaining about Intolerance should be the last ones to complain because they became celebs in a so-called intolerant country… Compared to any country India is the most tolerant and if some people are unhappy here also they should tell which country they will go to.”
Rishi Kapoor wrote, “Mr & Mrs Aamir Khan, when things are going wrong and the system needs correction, repair it, mend it. Don’t run away from it. That is Heroism!”
Actor and BJP MP Paresh Rawal said if Aamir believes India is his “motherland then he will never talk about leaving it”. “Aamir is a fighter so he should not leave but change the situation in the country!”
Raveena Tandon, without taking Aamir’s name, tweeted, “Guess all those who did not want PM Modi to become PM, want to bring this Government down… Sadly because of politics, they are shaming country.” (PTI)
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