Now, Adityanath says Shah Rukh speaks Hafiz Saeed’s language

DISAPPROVAL Govt, BJP say Gorakhpur MP’s remarks uncalled for, SRK is much respected and loved

Hindu hardliners escalated their tirade against Shah Rukh Khan over his remarks on intolerance with controversial BJP parliamentarian Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday accusing the Bollywood star of “treason” and comparing him with Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed.

The NDA government struggled to keep BJP MPs and Hindu controversialists on a leash after Khan commented on his 50th birthday on Monday that there was “nothing worse than religious intolerance and that it would take India to the dark ages”.

Party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya ignited the flames on Tuesday with a tweet that Khan “lives in India but his soul is in Pakistan”. He withdrew the tweet a day later after it generated outrage and the BJP leadership issued a strict warning against inflammatory comments.

But the verbal assault continued against Khan. Adityanath, the MP for Gorakhpur, suggested the actor can go to Pakistan, an advice often hurled at him by right-wing forces.

“Shah Rukh Khan should remember that if a huge mass in society would boycott his films, he will also have to wander on streets like a normal Muslim ... I am saying these people are speaking in a terrorist’s language. I think there is no difference between the language of Shah Rukh Khan and Hafiz Saeed. His statements amount to treason,” said the MP known for shooting his mouth.

For his part, 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind and Jamatud-Dawa (JuD) chief Saeed responded through a tweet that Khan is welcome to live in Pakistan.

The Pakistan refrain reflected in the comments of VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi, who had accused Khan in March of spreading a culture of violence in his movies, called him a “Pakistani agent” on Tuesday.

Senior Union ministers tried to stop the embarrassment the rant was causing the government which has recently been advised by an international organisation, Moody’s Analytics, to keep BJP members in check or risk “losing domestic and global credibility”.

Telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad described the actor as “a versatile genius universally applauded by all Indians alike”. Colleague Venkaiah Naidu announced that the party does not approve the hate comments against Khan, saying “nobody should speak such nonsense”. Khan found support from BJP ally Shiv Sena, a surprising move since the party had tried to stop the screening of one his films for the actor’s remarks that Pakistani cricketers should be allowed to play in the IPL.

“There is freedom to write or say anything. Otherwise, how could have a bunch of people said so many things about the BJP and the PM. Shah Rukh should not get into all these. Had there been intolerance in this country, Khan would not have been a star after Amitabh Bachchan,” Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut said.

The rival Congress came out in strong defence of Khan, too.

The party’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma, said: “Shah Rukh Khan is an icon of cosmopolitan India. He has the right to speak his mind as a citizen of India. The BJP can’t question anyone.”

UP minister Azam Khan defended Shah Rukh Khan and accused the BJP top brass of failing to rein in its motor mouth leaders.

“It’s extremely hurtful to know the manner in which a top actor has been abused and accused of being anti-national. Not just Khan, but even his children and wife must have been extremely hurt. The way in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s men are breaking hearts doesn’t augur well for the country,” Khan said.

BJP general secretary Vijayvargiya, whose tweet on Monday started the fire, defended the government’s position that the row over intolerance stand on flimsy grounds. “Had there been intolerance in India then Shah Rukh would not have been the most popular actor after Amitabh Bachchan,” he said.

The BJP’s Northeast Delhi MP, actor-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari echoed similar views.

“If there was any kind of intolerance in the country, he wouldn’t have been one of the top superstars in India.” But the potshots continued to rain. Tiwari questioned the timing of Khan’s remarks. “He issued a statement when the Bihar elections are going on. He has always been close to Congress party,” he said.

Fellow party parliamentarian Meenakshi Lekhi gave a new twist: “On October 26, Shah Rukh Khan got notice from Enforcement Directorate (ED) and on November 2, India became intolerant.”

Yoga guru Ramdev, too, joined the chorus. “Sab hawabaazi hain (All these are empty talks). If Shah Rukh is really concerned, he must give up his Padmashree,” he said, although he is not affiliated to any rightwing organisation.