‘Will not allow screening of Javed Akhtar films till he apologises with folded hands to RSS’: BJP MLA

BJP MLA Ram Kadam has said no film of Javed Akhtar will be allowed to release in India as he has compared the RSS and VHP to the Taliban.

Pic courtesy: Instagram

New Delhi: After writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar compared RSS, VHP to Taliban, Maharashtra MLA and BJP spokesperson Ram Kadam took to Twitter and shared a video saying that until Javed Akhtar apologises to RSS for his analogy till then none of his films will be allowed to screen in India.

Javed Akhtar had earlier in an interaction with the NDTV said that the right-wing across the world want the same things. "Just like the Taliban want an Islamic State, there are those who want a Hindu Rashtra. These people are of the same mindset -- be it Muslim, Christian, Jews or Hindus," he told NDTV.

He further added, “Of course, the Taliban is barbaric, and their actions are reprehensible, but those supporting the RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal are all the same”.

Reacting on the same, BJP MLA Ram Kadam posted a video on Twitter which he captioned, “This statement by Javed Akhtar is not just shameful, but painful and humiliating for crores of functionaries of the Sangh and the Vishva Hindu Parishad and crores of people across the world who follow their ideology." 

#संघ तथा #विश्वहिंदूपरिषद के करोडों कार्यकर्ताओ की, जब तक हाथ जोड़कर #जावेदअख्तर माफी नही मांगते. तब तक उनकी तथा उनके परिवार की कोई भी #फिल्म इस #माभारती के भूमि पर नहीं चलेगी. pic.twitter.com/ahWgVQWuvH — Ram Kadam - राम कदम (@ramkadam) September 4, 2021

In the video, the BJP MLA can be seen asking the writer to have at least reflected that the people with the same ideology are running the government now, and are fulfilling the ‘Raj Dharma’. He further says that if the ideology was Talibani, would he have been able to make these remarks? This in itself shows that the statements made by him are hollow.

"We will not allow any of his films to run in this land of Ma Bharti till he apologises with folded hands to the functionaries of the Sangh who have dedicated their lives to the nation," the MLA said in the video.

Javed Akhtar has been critical of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its policies. The vocal film personality is the husband of actress and activist Shabana Azmi and father of director Zoya Akhtar and actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar. 

Javed Akhtar has been a member of the Rajya Sabha in the past.