‘The Lady Is Not A Fringe Element,’ Says Naseeruddin Shah About Ousted BJP Spokesperson Nupur Sharma

New Delhi: Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has never shied away from speaking his mind on any issue, however controversial it may be. Shah recently expressed his views on a couple of issues. Once again, without mincing any words.

On Prophet Mohammad controversy

Reacting to the growing controversy over the insult to Prophet Mohammad by BJP’s suspended spokesperson Nupur Sharma, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take concrete steps to “stop the poison”.

Speaking to NDTV channel, Shah termed the disciplinary action taken by the BJP as “too little too late” as it took 10 days for the party leadership to take notice of the issue and crack a whip on its spokesperson who made the objectionable remarks against the Prophet Mohammad on a TV debate.

On the BJP-led government, attempting to defuse the anger of Muslim countries, saying the comments reflected views of “fringe elements”, Naseeruddin Shah said, “The lady is not a fringe element. She is a national spokesperson.”

The veteran Bollywood actor has appealed to the Prime Minister to step in and speak strongly against the “poison of hate” that is swallowing the country.  “I would appeal to the PM to knock some good sense into these people. If what he believes is what was said at the (Haridwar) Dharma Sansad, he should say so and if not, he should say so,” Naseeruddin Shah told NDTV in an interview.

On The Kashmir Files

Shah also spoke about actors and filmmakers who are participating in projects perceived to be nationalistic. Asked about Akshay Kumar’s recent films and Vivek Agnihotri’s blockbuster film The Kashmir Files, Shah told NDTV, “They want to be on the winning side.” He called The Kashmir Files ‘an almost fictionalised version of the suffering of Kashmiri Hindus’ and said that the ‘government is promoting it’.“

The silence by the three Khans on political issues

Asked about their silence regarding the political affairs of the country, Shah said ‘they would be risking too much.’ “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 to their own conscience about it. But I think they are in a position where they have too much to lose,” he said as quoted by Indianexpress.com.

Aryan Khan’s witch hunt

“What happened to Shah Rukh Khan and the dignity with which he faced it was admirable. It was nothing but a witch-hunt. He has kept his mouth shut. All he did was support Trinamool and applaud Mamata Banerjee. Sonu Sood gets raided. Anyone who makes any statement gets a response. Maybe I am next. I don’t know. (laughs) Though they won’t find anything,” Shah said.

On news channels

Part of the problem is news channels as they contribute to the hate talk. “The hate is manufactured and it is a venom that spews when you are confronted with an opposing view. TV news and social media are responsible for this,” he was quoted as saying.