An Open Letter to Anupam Kher | Shahid Jamal

Dear Mr. Anupam Kher,

First time I am writing an open letter to a celebrity like you. I am writing this letter keeping in mind that it will give you some food for thought and enable you to think rationally as well. Yesterday I watched you on YouTube delivering an energetic speech. Your speech was all about defending BJP government and eulogizing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When I was watching you it seemed to me that the actor Anupam Kher looks like a BJP spokesperson who by mere shouting on others tries to win the debate. Let me say that your whole argument was pointless and your all statements were senseless. Accept this as a feedback of a common man about whom you talked very often in your speech.

For me either defending BJP or being a spokesperson of any political party is not a subject of critique today. Everyone has freedom to choose any political party and its ideologue, so if BJP appeals you the most, nobody should bother about your choice.

Sir! In your speech, the way you have projected the whole nation was quite astonishing for me. You spoke about JNU and you condemn the whole matter which took place on 9^th February, you also criticized Kanhaiya by saying that we are making hero out of a guy who raised anti national slogans, you also burst out on Justice Ganguly for his remarks on JNU and his critical views about the judgment of Afzal Guru. But before criticizing others you have totally forgotten that the party on which you have full faith and which you are defending in each and every matter has made an alliance with PDP in Kashmir which is totally against your party’s view on Afzal’s execution.

It sounds very illogical that your idea of nationalism is different from place to place and person to person. If raising slogans in favour of Afzal Guru is heinous in JNU then why it is not in Kashmir? If being critical about the judgment of the Supreme Court makes students in JNU anti national then why it does not make the Chief Minister anti national in Kashmir? You defend BJP so I want a clarification from you in this regard. You often meet Mr. Modi, so when you meet Mr. Modi next time please do ask him these questions of a common man.

You also talked about the tolerance. I followed you on twitter when you were posting each and every details of the “Tolerant India March”. I was thinking at that time that whether it is possible in 21^stcentury that people of India are unaware about the surroundings and socio- political condition of their country? If not then why you are trying to make people believe that India is a tolerant nation? What was the necessity of this march or rally? Let the people decide whether this nation is tolerant or not. Accept this fact that in your tolerant India March nothing was tolerant at all because Indian citizens have seen that how intolerant the people were who marched for tolerant India. Your people misbehaved with the lady journalist and abused her. Your people were also shouting over media person by saying Maaro Saalon ko. So Sir I want you to tell the people of this country that what kind of tolerance you want in this nation? If your idea of tolerant India is like your tolerant India march then as an Indian citizen this is unacceptable to me. Sir! you said that people who dine in five star hotels and walk with the security guards are talking about intolerance in this country. But sir, let me remind you that neither the relatives of Akhlaq nor Rohit’s family have checked in any five star hotels ever. You urge us to ask the common people about the intolerance, Sir! Please do come and ask the minorities and dalits and then you will realize that mere talking in air will not make this country tolerant.

In your speech you have also criticized Manmohan Singh for being silent during his tenure as a Prime Minister, but how can you forget that your so called vocal and charismatic leader and our current Prime Minister is also silent over national issues. Whether it is farmers’ suicide or Dadri lynching which grabbed the headlines more than a month or even JNU controversy, our Prime Minister was only a mute spectator. I can say that Narendra Modi is more silent over national issues than Manmohan Singh. So if you criticize Manmohan Singh do criticise Narendra Modi too.

When you were eulogizing the Prime Minister, you said that our PM has not taken a single holiday. By saying this you were either considering the common man fool or you were trying to hide the facts. People know that he has not taken any single holiday but people also know that he has enough time to attend the marriage ceremony of Mulayam’s grandson, he has enough time to campaign in Bihar assembly election and he has enough time to attend the family functions of cabinet ministers and MPs. Sir! please tell me that do these functions, marriage ceremonies and election campaigns fall under the official tasks of the Prime Minister? Once you become a Prime Minister, your political identity becomes secondary but in Bihar Assembly election Narendra Modi has shown that his political identity which his party has given to him is much more important than the identity which the Indian people has chosen for him. I am saying this to you because you have mentioned in your speech that our PM often says party comes and goes but for me my country is important. It seems to me that our PM has a character which is mixture of opposites.

I watched your whole of the speech, so please let me allow to correct your historical fact. As a student of history I caught you when you uttered in your speech about the emergency. You said that emergency was imposed in 1984 but as all know it was imposed in 1975. I can understand that when you turn angry, these mistakes may happen. You furiously talked about the Sikh riot but I was expecting that you will also talk about the Gujarat genocide along with the Sikh riot, which was state sponsored and pre planned and took place in Gujarat in the regime of your so called Vikas Purush.

You also said that people like Sadhvi Prachi and Yogi should be behind the bar, but Sir! why are you telling this to us? Why don’t you convince the PM? I think since you are close to the Prime Minister and his party he should consider your words but the way Sadhvi and Yogi have responded to you by naming a real life villain is also a matter of thought for the party.

I have also watched Burkha Dutt after your speech and what she termed the act of people like you is worth mentioning at the end of this letter and that is hypocrisy, hypocrisy and hypocrisy.

I don’t know whether you will respond to my letter or not but if your conscience allow you to do so please do. Sir I will wait for your response. As you have mentioned in your speech that you think in Hindi therefore I want your response in Hindi.

Regards

Shahid Jamal (M.A. History)

Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.