Not leaving country but stand by statement: Aamir Khan

After his “alarm and despondency” remarks on 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 of leaving India. 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 BJP, meanwhile, advised the actor not to come under the influence of “fabricated political propaganda” as tolerance is in India’s “DNA”. The BJP however, felt Khan’s “extreme reaction” not only “dented” the image of the country but also his own. The government had called Khan’s comments alarmist, with ministers alleging a conspiracy to tarnish India’s image.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, had come out in 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, issued 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, Khan clarified that neither he nor his wife have any intention of leaving the country, nor “would we like to in the future”. He, however, showed no signs of relenting in the face of fresh attacks.

“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.

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

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.”

Aamir 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 added, “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, its concept of ekantavada, its 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 signed off with “Jai Hind”.

Environment minister Prakash Javadekar said Khan’s statements might have been his “personal opinion” but the “country has been hurt by it to a large extent”. He said if such an “extreme reaction” is given by a prominent artiste, then naturally some people get hurt and sad.

Accusing the BJP of indulging in “fascist and discriminative” politics, the Samajwadi Party came out in open support of Aamir. Senior SP leader and Cabinet minister Shivpal Singh Yadav told reporters in Jaunpur in UP, “Aamir does not need to leave the country. He can live anywhere in UP.”