Modi partitions Bollywood now

BJP’s prime ministerial contender Narendra Modi is the butt of Congress’s unrelenting tirade over the Gujarat riots during the do-or-die election campaign with the issue of secularism dominating their discourse. Rajabali, however, insists the celebrities have not appealed to the electors to vote for a particular party or person or taking sides.

‘It is not what we meant (anti-modi and pro-Congress), that is not the interpretation. We are appealing to people to vote for someone who is secular,’ veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said. The initiative by Rajabali and others, however, has not gone down well with many
in Bollywood.

‘Shocking to see some colleagues, under garb of stopping so-called divisive forces, are themselves dividing a secular place like Bollywood,’ filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, in a move aimed at winning over Muslims, the BJP on Wenesday managed to rope in superstar Salman Khan’s father and noted scriptwriter Salim Khan to launch the Urdu version of Modi’s official website. The BJP in these elections has been making concerted efforts to woo Muslim voters, who hitherto are known to have version for the saffron party. On Wednesday, Khan launched the website - www.narendramodi.in - from his residence in suburban Bandra in presence of BJP spokesperson Shaina NC. ‘I share personal relation with Narendra Modiji, so we launched the website at my place, also I like Urdu language. I had given this suggestion of website to Narendra Modiji,’ Khan said.