Bollywood lyricist and renowned poet Javed Akhtar’s recent comments have landed him in the bad books of a BJP MLA, known for his controversial and absurd remarks about women. The Maharashtra MLA and BJP spokesperson threatened that no film of Mr Akhter will be allowed to screen anywhere until he apologizes with “folded hands” to the RSS for allegedly comparing the group to the Taliban.
The warning was given today by BJP MLA Ram Kadam, a day after the lyricist-poet’s conversation with NDTV where he spoke about the extremists that exist in every religion, including the RSS who demand a “Hindu Rashtra”, claiming that India is a Hindu nation.
In a video message posted on Twitter, Kadam called Mr Akhter’s statement “shameful, painful and humiliating” for “crores of functionaries of the Sangh and the Vishva Hindu Parishad and crores of people across the world who follow their ideology.”
He said the group members cater to the below poverty line people whom the poet had apparently insulted.
He passed a sharp and mindful warning, reminding Mr Akhter of the party that rules at the top. “Before making these remarks, he should have thought that people with the same ideology are running the government now, are fulfilling raj dharma. If the ideology was Talibani, would he have been able to make these remarks? This shows how hollow his statements are,” Kadam said.
Calling India “Ma Bharti”, he challenged Mr Akhter of not allowing his films to be screened unless he apologizes to the “functionaries of the Sangh who have dedicated their lives to the nation”.
Father of director Zoya Akhter and actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhter and husband of famous actress Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, had said yesterday that right-wing groups around the world are interested in achieving the same thing. While the Taliban wants an Islamic State, others want a Hindu Rashtra, irrespective of their religion, every ring-wing organization has the same mindset, including Jews, Hindus, Muslims and Christians, he had said.
“Of course, the Taliban is barbaric, and their actions are reprehensible, but those supporting the RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal are all the same,” the former MP had said.
Reacting to the appreciation of the Taliban and its return to power by some Muslim leaders, Mr Akhter said that “these people are a miniscule of the Muslim population of our nation”.
Majority of the Muslim youth today wants a good job and a good education for their children, he said, adding that hence, there were many Muslims who were “shocked and appalled that such statements were made by some”.
“There are some who want to believe in this kind of regressive thinking — where men and women are segregated, where regressive mindset is promoted. But like I said, these people are a handful, so let them say what they want, they will not achieve it,” he said.
“The majority of this nation is extremely decent and tolerant… India will never become a Talibani country,” he had said.
