BJP leader Ram Kadam has warned Javed Akhtar that his films will not be allowed to screen till the Bollywood lyricist does not apologise to the RSS for comparing the organisation to the Taliban.
Akhtar is facing flak for his recent remarks during an interview in which he said that the Taliban are barbaric, their actions are reprehensible, but those supporting the RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal are all the same.
While several users slammed Akhtar on social media, a Mumbai-based lawyer said he has filed a police complaint against him. Meanwhile, several protesters landed outside his Juhu residence, demanding Akhtar to apologise for his remarks.
“He should have thought that people with the same ideology are running the government now and are fulfilling raj dharma. If their ideology was Talibani, would he have been able to make these remarks? This shows how hollow his statements are. We will not allow any of his films to run in this land of Ma Bharti till he apologises with folded hands to the functionaries of the Sangh who have dedicated their lives to the nation,” Kadam was quoted as saying.
On Friday, Akhtar, in an interview with NDTV, Akhtar said that it is time for supporters of the VHP and the RSS to introspect. “I think people who support organisations like the RSS, VHP or Bajrang Dal need to do some introspection. Of course, Taliban are reprehensible… they are barbarians. But the people whom you are supporting, how are they different from them [the Taliban],” he said.
Akhtar said some people in India want segregation in society and that he saw an “uncanny resemblance” between the Taliban and people “who want to be like Taliban”.
