Shiv Sena today lambasted > Sharad Pawar for defending actor Aamir Khan over his intolerance remarks, saying the NCP chief has lost connect with the sentiments of the people.
“If according to Pawar intolerance means betraying the country whose food you eat then you should call Aamir Khan to Baramati and honour him with ‘Nishan E Baramati’ award,” Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’
“What Pawar is saying in Aamir Khan’s defence does not befit the character of Maharashtra,” it said.
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“By that yardstick seeking (extradition of) Dawood Ibrahim and raising voice against Pakistan will also be construed as intolerant,” the editorial said.
“It is unfortunate that a leader who has been in politics and in power for so many years should consider anti-India remarks of the actor as a personal view”, the party said.
“It is not surprising that chief of the party which feels terrorist Ishrat Jahan was a saint should support Aamir,” it added. “It is necessary to tell Pawar to make comments befitting his age and experience,” the editorial added. Leaders do not know what is going on in society and have lost connect with people’s sentiments, it said.
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Slamming Aamir Khan’s critics, Mr. Pawar yesterday had said that the tone and tenor of the reactions to the Bollywood star’s statement on growing intolerance in the country actually lent substance to the debate on the issue and to say that he got his wealth in India itself betrayed an intolerant attitude.
The 50-year-old actor in an interaction at the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism awards ceremony on Monday had said, “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.”