Aamir Khan stands by remark, BJP rebuts him

After his “alarm and despondency” remarks on growing incidents of intolerance in the country came under fierce criticism, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan on Wednesday asserted that he is “proud to be an Indian”. Through a statement, he maintained that he stood by what he had stated and that neither he nor his wife Kiran Rao have any intention to leave the country.

Dubbing the actor “Ranchhoddas”, a character played by him in the film 3 Idiots, BJP ally Shiv Sena accused him of speaking the language of “treachery”. The ruling BJP advised the actor not to come under the influence of “fabricated political propaganda” as tolerance is India’s “DNA”.

The BJP however, felt that Mr Khan’s “extreme reaction” not only “dented” the image of the country but also his own. The government had called Mr Khan’s comments alarmist, with ministers alleging a conspiracy to tarnish India’s image. Opposition parties, including the Congress, had come out in Mr Khan’s support asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reach out to people raising the issue.

The actor, who had to face ire over his remarks including from the ruling party, its allies and fellow actors, came out with a statement saying he is “proud to be an Indian”. His remarks about his wife expressing fear for their child in the current atmosphere had kicked up a major political storm.

In his statement, Mr Khan clarified that neither he nor his wife have any intention of leaving the country and nor “would we like to in the future”. He however, showed no signs of relenting in the face of fresh attack.

“Anyone implying the opposite has either not seen my interview or is deliberately trying to distort what I have said. India is my country, I love it, I feel fortunate for being born here, and this is where I am staying,” he said.

Asking the actor not to come under the influence of “fabricated political propaganda,” Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said tolerance is in India’s DNA and the actor need not leave the country.

Parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said, “Some are propagating wrong things, some are coming under wrong propaganda. There is more tolerance in India. People of India are tolerant.”

In his statement, Mr Khan said, “To all the people shouting obscenities at me for speaking my heart out, it saddens me to say you are only proving my point.” He also thanked those who stood by him.

“To all the people who have stood by me, thank you. We have to protect what this beautiful and unique country of ours really stands for. We have to protect its integrity, diversity, inclusiveness, its many languages, its culture, its history, its tolerance, it’s concept of ekantavada, it’s love, sensitivity and its emotional strength,” he said. The actor ended his statement by quoting Rabindranath Tagore’s famous poem, “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high...,” signing off with “Jai Hind”.

Environment minister Prakash Javadekar said Mr Khan’s statements might have been his “personal opinion” but the “country has been hurt by it to a large extent”.