Days after 49 eminent personalities’ letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemning lynching incidents and weaponisation of “Jai Shri Ram”, 62 others have hit back, accusing them of “selective outrage and false narratives” in an open letter.
The celebrities in this new letter include Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Prasoon Joshi, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut, filmmakers Madhur Bhandarkar and Vivek Agnihotri among others.
Titled ‘Against Selective Outrage & False Narratives,’ the letter read, “… Forty-nine self-styled ‘guardians’ and conscience keepers’ of the nation… have expressed selective concern and demonstrated a clear political bias and motive.”
“To us, the undersigned, this document of selective outrage comes across as an attempt to foist a FALSE NARRATIVE… to negatively portray Prime Minister Modi’s untiring efforts. The signatories of the ‘open letter’ have, in the past, kept silent when tribals and the marginalised have become victims of Naxal terror, they have kept silent when separatists have issued dictates to burn schools in Kashmir, they have kept silent when the demand for dismembering India were made…” the letter further read.
In a separate statement, Prasoon Joshi said the 49 celebs seem hell-bent to portray that there is deliberate wrongdoing prevalent, thereby dishonestly creating a false narrative.
“When people are jailed for saying ‘Jai Sri Ram’ or when a temple is attacked in Delhi they (49 celebrities) don’t say anything. Selective outrage is going on,” filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar said.
Actress Kangana Ranaut also hit back at those condemning lynchings saying “some people are misusing their position to generate a false narrative that under this Government things are going wrong; whereas, for the first time things are going in the right direction”.
“We are a part of a major shift, things are changing for the betterment of the nation and few people are rattled by this. Common people have chosen their leaders. Ones who disregard people’s will are the ones who have no respect or consideration for democracy,” she was further quoted as saying by ANI.
As many as 49 eminent personalities including actors and filmmakers had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing concerns over the rising incidents of lynching and the provocative use of “Jai Shri Ram” leading to law and order problems in the country.
Read | Stop lynchings, ‘Jai Shri Ram’ now ‘war cry’: 49 celebs write to PM Modi
Speaking on lynching incidents, the letter called for the immediate stoppage of lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities.
The letter also alleged that 90 per cent of the attacks were reported after May 2014, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power.
Further on, the letter stated that the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan has become a provocative “war cry” today.