Mumbai: Day after Bollywood superstar Salman Khan opposed the ban on Pakistani artistes in India, MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday taking a jib at the actor asked him to go and work in Pakistan.
“Our soldiers don’t have any personal animosity with Pakistani soldiers. The bullets our soldiers face are not filmy. Salman gets up after being hit by a bullet,” Raj said, reacting to Salman’s remarks, adding “I have seen his tubelight blinker many a time.”
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“I am also an artiste and artistes don’t fall from the sky. Pakistani artistes have refused to condemn Uri terror attack. Why should our artists speak up for them?,” Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief told reporters here.
Raj said the 50-year-old actor should work in Pakistan if he has so much love for artistes of the neighbouring country.
“Artistes should know its always ‘nation first’. Artistes are not inseparable from society. Is there a dearth of talent in our country?,” he said, adding those supporting Pakistani artists will face opposition from his party.
Raj said he does not buy the argument that there is no justification in banning Pakistani artists since they are not terrorists.
“How does that concern me if the people are good. I am seeing only terrorists who come to kill our people,” he said, adding film industry was only concerned about the business of their films.
Raj said what would happen if Indian soldiers keep aside their arms to hear a Ghulam Ali concert. “What will happen then. Are soldiers our servants? …they are protecting us.”
Interestingly, Raj is on good terms with Salman and is a regular visitor to the actor’s home during the Ganpati festival.
Salman had on Friday said artistes from Pakistan should not be treated like terrorists and art and terrorism should not be mixed.
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The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association has passed a resolution to ban Pakistani actors from the industry in the wake of the Uri attack, which left 19 soldiers dead.
The resolution came after Indian Army announced that seven terror launch pads were targeted across the LoC by special forces during a ‘surgical strikes’.
(With PTI inputs)