New Delhi: After making and breaking many commercial records at the box office, Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan another feather to its cap Tuesday, when it found mention in Trinamool Congress member, Derek O’Brien’s Rajya Sabha speech.
“Well done Siddharth Anand (director). Well done India’s biggest ambassadors. Well done those of you who made Pathaan. What we couldn’t do, Shah Rukh Khan, Dimple Kapadia and John Abraham have shown this country,” he said.
When some members pointed out that O’Brien had missed mentioning the film’s lead actress, Deepika Padukone, he clarified that he loved both actors.
O’Brien added: “Don’t mess with India’s biggest global ambassadors. You asked them to boycott Bollywood, they showed you one film with a beautiful message.”
A saffron bikini worn by Padukone in Besharam rang, one of the songs in the film, had created a controversy even before the film had released, with some calling for the film’s boycott. Since its release, however, the outpouring of love for the film has led many to hail it as an example of India’s cultural inclusivity.
Comparing the spirit of the film to President Droupadi Murmu’s speech on India’s spirit of diversity and inclusivity, O’Brien said, “‘A Bharat whose diversity is even more vivid and whose unity becomes more shakeable (sic)’ — these phrases were turned into a film before they were written (for the speech).”
Opposition MPs were all smiles, as O’Brien said, said the success of Pathaan had shown a mirror to the government and done what no political party could do.
“Don’t mess with India’s biggest global ambassadors. You asked them to boycott Bollywood, they showed you one film with a beautiful message,” O’Brien said.
Shah Rukh shares a warm relationship with TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and has even been made the brand ambassador of the state by her.
The TMC Rajya Sabha MP also raised the issue of corruption and asked the Modi government to bring in the Women’s Reservation bill, for reservation in Parliament and state assemblies, if it wanted real empowerment for women.
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‘Money of poor, middle class at risk’
Alleging that agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) and SEBI have been weakened under the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, O’Brien claimed that provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act were being used against Opposition leaders.
“Of the 5,422 money-laundering cases registered, 98 per cent have been done in the last nine years,” O’Brien said, adding that however, only 25 people were targeted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the said period.
“You cannot have one rule for the opposition and opponents and one rule for your friends and cronies,” he said.
The TMC MP also attacked the government for not protecting investor interests.
Raising the Adani issue, he alleged, “lots of money is at risk of the poor and middle class. Whose role is to conduct investigation — government and regulatory agency — but government systematically weakens institutions, whether it’s Parliament or RBI or SEBI.”
“The SEBI also has a preamble and it is mandated to protect the interest of investors and regulate the securities market. Why was the SEBI sleeping? Why the inaction?” the TMC leader asked.
Shares of the Adani Group suffered after US-based Hindenburg Research raised allegations related to stock manipulation and accounting fraud against firms led by Gautam Adani.
The Adani Group has refuted the charges.
Hitting out at the Prime Minister, O’Brien said, “How come one person who was chief minister (of Gujarat) and is now Prime Minister can work to squeeze state finance and work against cooperative federalism. Talking about double-engine government (a phrase often used by the BJP for its party’s government at Centre and state level) is anti-Constitutional.”
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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