Zee Media Bureau
Mumbai: The non-charitable foundation `Being Human`, being run by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, on Thursday donated Rs 25 lakh to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College on behalf of the stars who performed in Uttar Pradesh`s annual fair `Saifai Mahotsav`.
Notably, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and other stars are facing ire over participating in the Mahotsav while people were dying from severe cold in Muzaffarnagar relief camps. Two dozen other small and big actors performed as well at the event which has become a major attraction for the people of the region and a bone of contention among political parties.
Meanwhile, actress Madhuri Dixit took to Twitter to defend the decision to perform at the Mahotsav and wrote, "As artists and celebrities, we believe in using our reach to help others through drawing attention to the needs of the day.(sic)"
For UP, on behalf of the artists who performed at Safai, Being Human is donating Rs. 25 lakhs to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College.
— Madhuri Dixit-Nene (@MadhuriDixit) January 9, 2014
The Opposition has slammed the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh for holding celebrations at party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav`s native village of Saifai while the victims of the Muzaffarnagar riots reportedly suffer under adverse weather conditions at relief camps in the state.
From Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit to Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Eli Abraham, Mallika Sherawat, Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra, Remo, Sajid Wajid and Hard Kaur, several Bollywood stars descended upon the Saifai village on Wednesday for the final day of the Mahotsav.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has been criticised for out-and-out extravagance at a time when his government is being slammed for being insensitive to Muzaffarnagar riot victims. The government faced more ire when a 17-member UP government delegation went on the 20-day-long tour of the UK, Turkey, Netherlands, Greece and the UAE to study parliamentary techniques in those countries.
The film stars reached the village in Etawah district in seven chartered aircraft for the grand finale of the annual "Saifai Mahotsav" that ended last night. With the state government under attack over the cultural extravaganza amid the controversy over Muzaffarnagar riots victims, the live coverage of the event was banned by the district administration.
The Chief Minister had defended the two-week long cultural event, calling it a Samajwadi tradition.
