In an unusual turn of events, allies in the Maharashtra government – BJP and Shiv Sena – crossed swords over the comments made by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on the prevailing atmosphere of “extreme intolerance”. As BJP leaders unleashed a vicious attack on him, Shiv Sena came out to defend King Khan.
The first attack on Khan came from BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargia on Tuesday, which was followed by vituperative comments by firebrand BJP MP Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday. The MP from Gorakhpur compared Khan’s “extreme intolerance” comment to the venomous outpourings by Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of Mumbai carnage. The second attack on the actor by a BJP leader in as many days, sparked immediate condemnation.
Hitting out at Shah Rukh two days after the actor added his voice to the protest by the intelligentsia against the ‘climate of intolerance’ Adityanath suggested Khan go to Pakistan. Claiming that in the name of secularism some artists and authors with radical views have started speaking as “anti-nationals”, Adityanath said “unfortunately” Khan has also matched their voice and lent support
to them.
Earlier senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Tuesday in a series of tweets triggered a controversy when he painted Khan “anti-national” and said that the actor’s “soul” was in Pakistan though he lived in India. Coming under fire for his comments, Vijayvargiya, a BJP General Secretary, on Wednesday withdrew his controversial tweets but asserted that had there been intolerance in India, Khan would not have been the most popular actor after Amitabh Bachchan. He, however, he stopped short of an apology.
Meanwhile, the BJP distanced itself from Adityanath’s statement. “His (Adityanath) comments are incorrect and uncalled for. They do not reflect in any way the core belief of BJP or that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There cannot be any comparison of any law-abiding Indian citizen with a terrorist like Hafiz Saeed, certainly not Khan who is a much loved and respected Indian national and artiste,” said BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli.
Khan on Wednesday, received support from Shiv Sena, which said the superstar should not be targeted only because he is a Muslim and that the minority community in India is “tolerant”. “This country is tolerant and the Muslims are tolerant as well. Shah Rukh Khan should not be targeted only because he is a Muslim,” Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said.
Khan’s co-star in “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” Anupam Kher also came out in his support, as he took to twitter to post his views on the incident. “Some members of the BJP really need to control their tongue & stop talking rubbish about @iamsrk. He is a national icon & We r PROUD of him,” he tweeted.