BJP leader Sangeet Singh Som launched a sharp attack against actor Shah Rukh Khan on Friday — calling him a “traitor” for inducting Bangladeshi players into the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team. Minorities in the neighbouring country have faced growing violence over the past two weeks — with two killed while two others faced near-fatal injuries. Spiritual leader Devkinandan Thakur had also levelled similar criticism against the actor earlier this week and called it a “cruel” decision.
“The way Hindus are being persecuted in Bangladesh, women and girls are being raped, their homes are being burned, and anti-India slogans are being chanted there. Despite all this, traitors like Shah Rukh Khan, I’m calling him a traitor because everything he has is given by India, given by the people of India, but where do they invest this money? They invest it in players from a country that is working against India,” Som told ANI on Thursday.
“Bangladeshi players shouldn’t be allowed to play on Indian soil in the IPL… Pakistani and Bangladeshi players should be prohibited. They harbour hatred towards us for the murder of our Hindu brothers and sisters… Shah Rukh Khan should immediately remove that Bangladeshi cricketer from his team… If he doesn’t do this even after all this uproar, it will prove that, while he lives in this country and earns money here, he doesn’t understand this nation’s sentiments,” agreed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey in conversation with ANI.
What is the issue?
The Kolkata Knight Riders had purchased left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman for Rs 9.2 crore during the IPL auction in mid-December. He had joined he joined Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 — winning the title as the fifth-highest wicket-taker — and later played for Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, and Chennai Super Kings.
What did Devkinandan Thakur say?
The spiritual leader had recently highlighted the ongoing atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh and deemed Khan ‘cruel’ for including a player from the country. He further added that the Hindu community had supported him and questioned how that “debt” was being repaid.
“In Bangladesh, Hindus are being brutally murdered, their homes are being burned, and their sisters and daughters are being raped. After witnessing such brutal killings, how can someone be so heartless, especially someone who calls himself the owner of a team? How can he be so cruel as to include a cricketer from that very country in his team? This country made you a hero, a superstar, and gave you so much power that you own a cricket team. What were you before? You worked in a TV serial, earning Rs 500-1000 a day,” he said.
(With inputs from agencies)