Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya Gets Legal Notice For Calling Mahatma Gandhi ‘Father Of Nation For Pakistan’

Pune: There’s trouble for singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya. He has been sent a legal notice by a lawyer for his controversial Mahatma Gandhi ‘Father of the Nation’ for Pakistan remark, according to reports.

A Pune-based lawyer, Asim Saorde, on behalf of his client Manish Deshpande, has sought an apology from Bhattacharya, reported the India Today. The notice reportedly mentions that if no apology is issued by Bhattacharya, then he will have to face criminal prosecution.

Last month, Bhattacharya sparked a controversy by making such a comment. Reports claimed that he said music composer RD Burman was bigger than Mahatma Gandhi and Gandhi was the ‘Father of the Nation’ for Pakistan and not India.

“Pancham Da (RD Burman) was bigger than Mahatma Gandhi, he was the rashtrapita of music,” Bhattacharya had said, as quoted by India Today.

“Mahatma Gandhi was the father of the nation for Pakistan, not for India. India was always there. Pakistan was created out of India, later. Gandhi has been mistakenly called the father of the nation for India. He was the one responsible for the existence of Pakistan,” he had reportedly added.

‘Statement shows you have hatred for Gandhi….’

Saorde’s legal notice states that India is known as a “nation belonging to Mahatma Gandhi” and comments by Bhattacharya insult the “repute of Mahatma Gandhi and defamed him”. “You made the above foolish statement claiming that India has always existed, and Pakistan was created by mistake. The statement shows hatred in your mind for Mahatma Gandhi ji,” the legal notice by Saorde read, according to India Today.

If the singer doesn’t seek an apology, the notice cautioned him against a complaint against him under sections 353 (public mischief) and Section 356 (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.