Cong. sides with Aamir, slams BJP’s ‘drama’ over intolerance

New Delhi, Nov. 26 : The Congress Party on Thursday lashed out at Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh over his remark that B.R. Ambedkar ‘did not leave the country despite facing criticism’ and dubbed it to be a ‘drama’ to divert the attention from the issue of growing intolerance in the nation.

“I am surprised that Rajnath Singh made the issue very small. There is a huge difference between what Ambedkar ji tolerated and leaving the country. He did not say I am leaving the country. A whole lot of drama is being created to divert the issue,” Congress leader Renuka Chaudhary told ANI.

“It is true that now a kind of situation has formed in the nation where the people fear whether his statement is not modulated. If you see Twitter, you will understand what the culture of India is. People say anything they want which they are not even aware of,” she added.

Referring to Aamir Khan’s latest remark on the intolerance in the nation, Chaudhary said the Bollywood actor was speaking in a flow, adding it is extremely disappointing that the Home Minister has pinpointed just one point of his comment.

“I think this is ridiculous and it is highly disproportionate that the issues are being diverted,” she said.

In an apparent reference to Aamir’s remark on the raging intolerance debate, Rajnath earlier today told the Lok Sabha that Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the principle architect of the Indian Constitution, never decided to leave the country despite facing criticism.

“Ambedkarji had to face a lot of criticism, but he kept on presenting an objective point of view for a unified India. Despite insults, he never said he will leave India,” he said.

Speaking at the eighth edition of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, Aamir had earlier expressed alarm and despondency over the rise in cases displaying intolerance in the last six to eight months.

He had said that a sense of ‘insecurity’ and ‘fear’ had seeped deep within society.

“When I go home and talk to Kiran (Aamir’s wife), for the first time she says, ‘Should we move out of India?'” Khan said.

The actor, however, clarified yesterday that neither he nor his wife Kiran have any intention of leaving the country as he is proud to be an Indian. (ANI)