The Union government responded to film actor Aamir Khan’s view that intolerance had risen in the country in the last few months, by attributing the comments to having been made “under someone else’s influence.”
Minister of state for minority affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, “The country has given him (Aamir Khan) so much love and respect. I am sure he said it in a hurry or maybe under influence from others.”
“Tolerance is in the DNA of this country. Neither is he going anywhere nor will we let him go,” he added. The reaction was in contrast to previous reactions to such comments on intolerance by other celebrities, where BJP MPs would promptly issue statements on dispatching people to Pakistan.
BJP MP and Bhojpuri film star Manoj Tiwari however expressed strong sentiments of “disappointment” over Mr. Khan’s comments. “I am deeply saddened and shocked by his statement,” he said. “Aamirji should reflect on this statement that gives a wrong impression of the country,” he added.
Another film-star MP from the BJP, Paresh Rawal, urged Mr. Khan to fight it out in India saying he owed it to the country if he believed it was his motherland. “Aamir is a fighter so he should not leave but change the situation in the country. Jeena yahan marna yahan (to live and die here) a true patriot will not run away and leave his motherland behind in turmoil or in troubled times (if any). If I believe this is my motherland then I will never talk about leaving it, but I would if I believed otherwise,” he said.
PTI adds:
The ruling party also reminded Mr. Khan that his last movie ‘PK’ was a resounding box office success >despite protests by some right wing outfits , stressing that it was an example of how tolerant Indian society is.
“Some isolated examples, however, extreme are exceptions to India’s inherent tolerant nature. It would be unfortunate to let isolated examples be taken as a norm that define India. Our Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and Aamir Khan like any citizen is entitled to his personal opinion. And any one who disagrees with him also enjoys the same freedom,” BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said.
Taking a dig at >Mr. Khan’s comment at an award ceremony yesterday that his wife Kiran Rao had wondered if they should move out of India, he said many people chose to settle abroad for various reasons, including education, career, business and taxation.
“This is an individual choice. There is no constitutional bar on it,” he said.
Mr. Khan had yesterday said that he has been “alarmed” by a number of incidents and his wife even suggested that they should probably leave the country. He also supported >those returning their awards , saying one of the ways for creative people to express their dissatisfaction or disappointment is to return their awards.
Security at Aamir's Khan's house after Hindu Sena threatened to demonstrate against his comments on intolerance. Photo: Vivek Bendre
'Aamir Khan provided ‘adequate’ security'
Five Hindu Sena activists were detained from outside the actor's house. Khan was provided with adequate security, a senior police official said on Tuesday.
“We have provided adequate police security to the actor.
There hasn’t been any protest by anyone in the city or at Khan’s house, but we have information that some outfits may hold a protest,” DCP (Detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni told PTI.
