Asia Times | The Canadian citizenship of the actor leaves the BJP in power in India



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The Hindu actor Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia, better known as Akshay Kumar, and known for his closeness to the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata (BJP), confessed that it was not He was no longer an Indian citizen.

Holder of a Canadian pbadport arrives shortly after he conducted a "non-political" interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi while general elections were underway. In the interview, questions such as whether Modi liked mangoes and how he ate them generated a lot of jokes and derision on the part of social network users.

Kumar is also known for being presented as an ultra nationalist. One of his recent films, Toilet – Ek Prem Katha, was seen as a way to promote a highly touted ploy of the BJP government.

His previous films are seen as vehicles of a muscular government. to attack the enemies of the state through badbadinations and kidnappings. His films as Kesari Rustom Gold and Airlift among others, are devoted to themes related to nationalism.

Meanwhile. The ruling party, Bharatiya Janata, fueled nationalism while using the national security strategy for its election campaign.

The question of Kumar citizenship has become a big issue, as BJP supporters frequently subject people to Indian religious minorities to "loyalty tests". Government critics are frequently asked to "visit Pakistan". Kumar's colleagues in Bollywood, Amir Khan and Naseeruddin Shah, had to face such questions when they stated that they did not feel safe under the current government. Kumar had snubbed Khan for his comments.

While social media users were questioning Bollywood spokesperson citizenship for nationalism, the situation worsened when Mumbai went to the polls when Kumar's wife, Twinkle Khanna came to the polling station. April 29, but it was not seen voting

Moreover, the actor chose to ignore and go away when he was questioned by journalists for not voting in the Lok Sabha elections in Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of western Maharashtra. Kumar answered the question by " Chaliye, chaliye (let's go, let's go)" as he walked away. Later, he will say that he is a Canadian citizen. The Trolls had a busy day on social networks

It was ironic since the actor had recently been identified by Prime Minister Modi in a tweet inviting him to encourage people to vote . Kumar did it. He tweeted saying, "The true characteristic of a democracy lies in the participation of the population in the electoral process. The vote must be a superhit. . . between our nation and its constituents. "

The dispute over his already controversial citizenship problem began after his recent meeting with Prime Minister Modi. The prime minister, known for rarely giving interviews to reporters, spoke with the actor in a qualified interview of "informal and non political".

Kumar published a statement of on Twitter, recognizing his Canadian identity. while emphasizing his Indian patriotism: "I really do not understand the unjustified interest and negativity that surround my citizenship. I have never hidden or denied being a Canadian pbadport holder. It is also true that I have not visited Canada in the last seven years. I work in India and pay all my taxes in India. While all these years, I have never needed to prove my love for India to anyone, I find it disappointing that my citizenship question is constantly being dragged into unnecessary controversy, a personal issue legal, apolitical and of no consequence for others. "

Kumar proudly declared that he was paying his taxes in India. In fact, it's not something that he does by choice.

India has a residence-based taxation system, and not a citizenship-based system. Indian citizens of Indian origin (PIO), overseas Indian citizens (OIC) or foreign citizens who have resided in India for more than 182 days must pay taxes and file a tax return. India. In addition, when a person resides in India for the purposes of income tax, income earned worldwide is taxable in India.

Kumar, who for many years held the leading position among the highest taxpayers in Bollywood, had paid Rs. 295 million in 2017.

The controversy over the citizenship of Bhatia is not new. In 2017, in an interview with Times Now, Kumar claimed that he was an "honorary citizen" of Canada: "About the Canadian thing. I am a citizen of honor. I was given an honorific thing. It's something that people should be proud of. I also have an honorary doctorate.

However, according to a survey by Alt News, the website of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lists people who have received Canadian honorary citizenship and names six people, including Pakistanis. Nobel laureate Malala Yousafsai. Kumar's name does not appear in the list. The report also states that an honorary citizen can not hold a Canadian pbadport, unlike Kumar.

After Kumar's declaration, actor Anupam Kher expressed his support on Twitter. Kher is known as a vocal supporter of the BJP and his wife, also an actor, Kirron Kher is a legislator of the BJP.

Dear @akshaykumar ! I've read about explaining to some people your loyalty to our country. Stop that! Their real job is to make people like you and me feel defensive when they speak for India. You are a maker. You do not need to explain to anyone. "

– Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) On May 5, 2019

Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs of India, also expressed his support for the. actor on Twitter He wrote: "Dear @akshaykumar ji, no one can question your patriotism.Your motivation for the personnel of our armed forces and the way you generate funds for our martyrs through the program #BharatKeVeer will remain an example for every patriotic Indian. "

Rijiju was referring to the website www.bharatkeveer.gov.in, which had been launched. by the Ministry of the Interior after a suggestion of Bhatia, who also promoted it. The purpose of the website and the application of the same name is to raise funds to help financially the families of soldiers killed by the Indian Armed Forces.

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