Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has come under fire from Hindu religious leaders and BJP figures for his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) choosing Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman. The Congress has intervened to defend the actor, claiming that the comments are an assault on India's pluralism.
Devkinandan Thakur, a Hindu spiritual leader, was the first to publicly criticize KKR's move in light of reports of violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.
Thakur told ANI that the Bangladeshi player should be fired by the KKR management. He insisted that the relatives of Hindu victims receive the money that was paid to the cricket player as an apology.
"That cricket player (Mustafizur Rahman) should be fired by KKR's management, their boss. "The Rs 9.2 crore that they are giving to that cricket player should be given as an apology to the relatives of the Hindu children if they are in India, so that at least they can know that their feelings are with the Hindus," Thakur stated.
Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya, a spiritual leader, later questioned Khan's morality and referred to him as a traitor. "Shah Rukh Khan is not a hero. There is no character for Shah Rukh Khan. He has behaved like a traitor, according to Rambhadracharya.
Shortly after, Shah Rukh Khan was referred to as a "traitor" by BJP leader Sangeet Som, who also accused him of funding a player from a nation he said was "working against India." Mustafizur Rahman would not be permitted to participate in the IPL, according to Som.
"Hindus are being persecuted in Bangladesh, where anti-Indian chants are screamed, women and girls are raped, and their homes are set on fire. Despite all of this, there are traitors like Shah Rukh Khan.
I call him a traitor because the Indian people gave him everything, but where do they put the money? They use it to fund athletes from nations that oppose India.
I want to let people like Shah Rukh Khan know that they are not going to be successful. They would never be able to convince Mustafizur Rahman to play here. Rahman won't be allowed to leave the airport," Som informed ANI.
Soon later, Congress responded. The comments made against Khan were denounced by MP Manickam Tagore, who described them as an assault on India's plurality.
In a post on X, Tagore criticized the RSS for fostering divisiveness and claimed that hatred could not constitute nationalism.
"It is an assault on India's pluralism to call Superstar Shah Rukh Khan a 'traitor'. Nationalism cannot be defined by hatred. RSS has to quit contaminating society.
The attacks coincide with a string of violent episodes in Bangladesh that target Hindus. Two Hindu youths were lynched in different events last month.
On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das, a clothing factory worker in the Mymensingh district, was beaten to death due to suspected blasphemy charges. His body was then reportedly hanged and burned.
