BJP fumes over Javed Akhtar’s comparison of Taliban to RSS

Indian writer and poet Javed Akhtar has landed into hot water in India for comparing the Taliban to extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

According to the reports, Javed Akhtar had participated in a show on Indian channel NDTV on September 3.

Speaking on the show, Javed Akhtar had said that those who are supporting the Taliban are “miniscule of the Muslim population of our nation”. He also said that the “right-wing ideology is also repressive”.

“Ironically, the right-wing use this to promote themselves with an aim to become the exact same as what they are opposing – that is an interesting observation,” he said.

Javed Akhtar had further said that “this country is basically a secular country, the ideology of the Taliban cannot appeal to any Indian”.

However, Javed Akhtar’s statement has drawn strong criticism from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other Hindutva organizations.

Ram Kadam, MLA of India’s ruling BJP, posted a video on Twitter and gave a caption, “Javed Akhtar’s statement is not only embarrassing but also painful for millions of RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad workers and millions of people who are following their ideology.”

“Unless Javed Akhtar joins hands and apologizes to those who have dedicated their lives to this nation, we will not allow his films to run,” the BJP leader said in a video.

#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

On the other hand, Shiv Sena, another extremist party in India, has also criticized Javed Akhtar’s statement and supported the RSS.

According to the report, Shiv Sena said in an editorial published in its pro-newspaper that Javed Akhtar made a mistake by comparing the two parties.
“We will not accept this comparison with the Taliban,” the Hindu extremist party said.

Indian media reported that security was beefed up outside Javed Akhtar’s residence in Mumbai after a BJP member demanded an apology.

A heavy contingent has been deployed outside Javed Akhtar’s residence in Joho, including security personnel and female constables, the police official said.

It may be recalled that Javed Akhtar has been critical of the BJP and its policies and has been a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India in the past.

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