Veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah finally gave his opinion on the controversy surrounding former BJP leader Nupur Sharma and the comments she made about Prophet Muhammad, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “knock some sense” into the people.
The celebrated actor talked about the recent political controversy involving former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, saying that he hopes that good sense will prevail in the people soon, and that the “hate wave” against the Muslim community will dissipate.
Naseeruddin Shah, during an interview with a news channel, appealed to PM Modi and said, “I would appeal to him (PM) to knock some good sense into these people. If he believes what was said at the 'Dharam Sansad' in Rishikesh, then he should say so. If he does not, then he should say so.”
This comes just a few days after a political row broke out, sparked by comments made by former BJP leader Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad. She was later suspended from the party after many Gulf countries slammed BJP and Sharma.
The party further distanced itself from the comments made by Sharma, and said that they “respect all religions”. Many Islamic nations like Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia criticized the remarks, and reports of locals boycotting Indian products also emerged on social media.
Naseeruddin Shah, while speaking to NDTV, also questioned the silence of the three Khans – Amir Khan, Salman Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan – on such issues, saying that A-listers in Bollywood have “too much to lose” by speaking up about issues like this.
Shah said during the interview, “I cannot speak for them. I am not in the position they are in. I feel they think they would be risking too much. But then, I don’t know how they explain it to their own conscience about it. But I think they are in a position where they have too much to lose.”
Nupur Sharma made some remarks about Prophet Muhammad during a TV news debate, sparking massive condemnation from the Muslim community. Since then, Sharma and BJP leader Naveen Jindal have been suspended from the party.
(With PTI inputs)
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