Rishi Kapoor takes on Gandhis, Congress workers protest outside his house

Rishi Kapoor said people from the film industry should also have buildings named after them.

Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor yesterday targeted the Congress over the practice of naming all the major assets of the country after the Nehru-Gandhi family during its rule, triggering an outcry from the party.

Rishi Kapoor said people from the film industry should also have buildings named after them.

Congress workers staged a protest outside Kapoor's house in Bandra and also pelted stones and shouted slogans against the actor to protest his slew of tweets against the Nehru-Gandhi family. The 63-year-old actor, who had in the recent past, been critical of the saffron forces on issues like intolerance, picked up the Congress for his attack this time.

Cops outside Rishi Kapoor's Pali Hill bungalow. Pic/Ajinkya Sawant

Kapoor said the names of prominent places should be changed after those who worked for the welfare of the country. "If roads in Delhi can be changed why not Congress assets/property ke naam?" the actor tweeted. The Kapoor & Sons star said people from the film industry should also have buildings named after them.

The actor said his father legendary actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor has done more good for the country than any politician.

‘Getting in BJP's good books'
Reacting to Kapoor's tweets, Congress spokesperson PC Chacko, without naming the actor, said it was merely an attempt by some people to get into the good books of BJP. "This is a cheap game that some people are playing." Another spokesperson, Manish Tewari, sarcastically wondered if Kapoor had any role to play in public life. "After Bobby, I have not heard him. Does he have any role to play in India's public life," he said. Bobby was Kapoor's debut movie as a lead actor.
Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) chief Sanjay Nirupam said that Kapoor has failed to realise the contribution of the Gandhi family towards building the nation. The NCP also took strong objection to Kapoor's tweets. The BJP latched on to Kapoor's attack on the Nehru-Gandhi family with its national secretary Shrikant Sharma saying only one family was "glorified" after independence while million others who sacrificed their lives for the country were "forgotten."

‘Tweets are genuine thoughts'
Actor Anupam Kher said Kapoor's tweets are genuine thoughts. "Rishi Kapoorji has thought about it and I am sure a lot of people think about a lot of things that they put on social networking sites. It's a genuine thought. It is not necessarily against the particular family," Kher said, adding the achievements of others should also be lauded.