In an interview with Outlook Turning Point magazine ,King Khan aka Shah Rukh Khan has created a controversy by stating that his ‘being Muslim’ ,post 9/11, has made him a target of few political leaders and that rallies have been held in the past where he has been asked to leave his home and return to his original homeland, indicating Pakistan.He also mentioned such issues forced him to make the movie ‘My Name Is Khan(and I’m not a terrorist)’. The controversy fueled up when Pakistan’s,Interior Minister,Rehman Malik stated that India should give security to Shah Rukh Khan while, Hafiz Saeed,India’s most wanted terrorist for Mumbai 2008 terror attack , stated Shah Rukh Khan can very well come and live in Pakistan and that he would make all the arrangements .
Look who is talking ? Should Mr Malik rather not sort out his country’s security issues where bomb blasts are a daily business before asking India to give security to Shah Rukh ? And is Hafiz Saeed,a terrorist, also a Pakistani Minister to offer people relocation assistance in Pakistan ?
Well, is it not astonishing to hear Shah Rukh Khan complain ? Is he not the actor who tops the charts of Bollywood Heroes since over a decade now (thanks to his fans ,majority of whom are logically non-Muslims)? Do his fans give a second thought about whom he prays before being his mad fans ? When has he been questioned for being a Muslim , in India(American airport is not in India where he was held) ? And whenever and if ever he has been targeted by political parties for ‘being Muslim’ ,is he the only Bollywood Star who has been targeted for political mileage (publicity stunt)? Even Amitabh Bachchan has been targeted for being a North Indian .
There is no denying that artists have been soft targets for Indian Political Leaders but this is not restricted to any religion or caste. This happened to Salman Rushdie,Ashis Nandy,Deepa Mehta,Tasleema Nasreen, Amitabh and Aamir and so many more. Is he the only one who has been targeted ? Then why making a fuss about it ? Bollywood actors have been respected by the Indian society regardless what religion they follow and what caste they belong to and Shah Rukh Khan himself is one of the biggest example of such respect and love.
A few groups of minorities have forced Kamal Haasan’s ‘Vishwaroopam’ be banned in Tamil Nadu and then Andhra Pradesh citing ‘showing of Muslims and Islam in bad light in the movie’ as the reason ! Kamal Haasan is of the belief that a few handful of Muslims cannot represent the whole community and protest on behalf of them and also that his movie has nothing which would offend sentiments of Muslims rather would make them proud.
Interestingly, the government of the Center or States do not take strict steps against these few hardliners who become the self-proclaimed saviour of religion and take decisions on behalf of the community. Should not art and literature be left out of political and vested interest and an artist or a thinker be allowed to express ? Well, that’s a tricky question to answer when it comes to religion because most of us identify ourselves on the basis of religion , caste and birthplace than as human beings, first . 🙂
Congress has declared that Rahul Gandhi Vs Narendra Modi in 2014 General Elections is a ‘media joke‘ and that they have democratic procedure of electing a Prime Ministerial Candidate on behalf of the party . Well, Modi’s is yet another victory in Gujarat and Congress’ failure in Uttar Pradesh Elections where the campaign was led by Rahul Gandhi is self-explaining as to why Congress has no face to show Rahul Gandhi as competitor against Narendra Modi for prime ministerial post.
Not only did she take a dip at Maha Kumbh but also seeked blessings from Naga Sadhus-Twitter star,popular for posting bold pictures of herself , Poonam Pandey made it to the news sites again with her snaps at the Allahabad , Maha Kumbh 2013.
After two Indian soldiers were killed and one of them was beheaded,India and Pakistan conflict on the Line Of Control has started.Pakistan alleges that Indian army had entered in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and killed one of Pakistani soldiers prior to the incident of Indian soldiers being brutally murdered and also denied any involvement.Amid statements from ministers from both the countries,the firing from both sides of the LOC has continued.’Aman Ki Asha’ the phrase which defined a fresh attempt by both the countries to improve relations with each other after the Kargil War has again suffered a major set back.
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA ,Akbaruddin Owaisi who has been in news for his ‘hate speech’made against hindus,returned from London to Hyderabad,avoided surrendering to police on grounds of ill-health.Hyderabad Police which has been criticized for going slow on the issue went to Akbaruddin’s residence to question him on his alleged hatespeech.Meanwhile,he applied for stay on his arrest in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Urban India may not be taking these hate speeches made by political leaders against other religion,caste and state too seriously but is it the same with rural India where the literacy level is comparatively very low. It is not only easy to play vote bank politics by giving hate-speeches against specific communities and groups but also readily possible to provoke violence between groups.
Be it Raj Thackeray making speeches against Biharis or Akbaruddin Owaisi making speeches against Hindus,is their sole motive not vote-bank politics? With law in one pocket and few goons in other,there are several political leaders throughout the country who dare the unity of India and yet roam about freely,unquestioned and never accounted for.