The Aamir Khan Intolerance debate took an ugly turn today when a Shiv Sena leader offered anybody a prize of 1 lakh rupees if they slapped actor Aamir Khan.
While the Shiv Sena spokesperson has maintained that this is not the official party position, it is a shockingly new low in the controversy, which has been twisted right from the beginning to get more eyeballs on the issue.
“Any person who slaps Aamir Khan will be rewarded Rs 1 lakh by the Shiv Sena. This is important because no one living in our country should dare to say anything against India… Anyone from the hotel staff or the film crew can slap him and take the reward.” This was the statement by Punjab Shiv Sena chief Rajeev Tandon on Wednesday.
The issue has escalated into a dirty mess, as posters and effigies of the actor have been burnt in the last few days for raising his opinion. While the actor’s patriotism has been questioned, our tolerance as a nation has come under question with this issue.
Protests were also held near a 5 star hotel in Ludhiana where the actor is shooting for his next film Dangal. The hotel has stepped up security for the actor, as protestors burnt his posters outside the hotel.
Aamir Khan has maintained that he loves the country, and has no plans for himself or his wife to leave the country anytime soon. He also reiterated that he is proud of India and doesn’t require the endorsement of anybody to prove it.
The issue has become really ugly now.
Going back to the question we asked you yesterday, do you think we are proving Aamir Khan right? That there is no scope to raise an opinion in India without facing a brutal backlash?
What do you think?
