Celebrities, do the background checks on Pak sympathisers

Niranjan Shetty, BJP spokesperson and Niranjan Shetty, BJP spokesperson

A simmering controversy has been sparked by BJP VP Baijayant Jay Panda, who has asked Bollywood to come clean on pictures of certain stars hobnobbing with individuals called Pak sympathisers, some fomenting trouble in Kashmir and some with alleged Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) links.

Background check must

Mumbai is the home of the film industry and these celebrities "have a humongous following, so they have a responsibility in who they are seen with," said Niranjan Shetty, BJP spokesperson. "They cannot get away by saying they don't know. They need to know a bit at least about the background of the person and be wary about any kind of deals, businesses or any social dealings. They should move away completely when it comes to people who are essentially calling for war against their own country."

Shetty added, "Most of these celebs have a massive PR machinery, so checking the backgrounds of these people is not too difficult. When you have this level of adulation, then your arc of influence is huge. They have become stars because of the audience, which is Indian and who pays money to see their films. Today, they may need to come out and clarify themselves if they have nothing to be afraid of and nothing to hide." BJP's Shaina N C, who is also Prasar Bharati director, said, "It is not about not speaking to people from a particular country, but what dealings do the stars have with them? These actors with their presence and their mammoth reputation need to scrutinise the antecedents or at least the backgrounds of the people they have links with. Business deals cannot act as an insulation in case of any terror threat to national security."

Mumbai advocate, Ameet Mehta, who is a managing partner in a law firm claimed, "Many Bollywood stars have developed a habit of being in the limelight by socialising with people without checking their backgrounds. Once they start attending these parties, they do not realise that certain national interests are getting compromised." Mehta, who is also secretary of BJP Mumbai, said, "The aim of ISI agents is also to spy through Bollywood stars so that they get easy access to higher ups in the government and military." He claimed, "Some Bollywood celebrities are pseudo patriotic just to make quick money, and some also get into the mode of 'Award Wapsi'. I can see a direct link of these two groups with those celebrities who participated in anti-CAB/CAA protests."

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