NEW DELHI: Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday hit back at veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah after he reportedly described himself as a “dimagi naxal” and part of the “tukde-tukde gang” in a video shared on social media.“I thought Naseeruddin Shah was just an ordinary actor. I used to respect & like him.. I never knew that he was a dangerous urban Dimagi Naxal!” Rijiju wrote on X.
The minister added in Hindi that he had learnt about Shah’s “real character” very late and described him as extremely harmful to Indian democracy.The controversy follows Shah’s vocal support for student movements and protests, including demonstrations linked to Jamia Millia Islamia and gatherings at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, as well as student protests in Mumbai.In the video, Shah reportedly challenged the authorities to take action against him over his views. He can be heard saying, “I say it with pride… I am a ‘dimagi anaxal’. Besides this, they have given people like me so many other labels: anti-national, tukde-tukde gang, and who knows what else. If there is a tukde-tukde gang in this country, it is this ‘najayas hukumat’.”“And I want to ask this government one question… what more will you do? How much more will you do to break the courage of our country’s youth, to destroy educational institutions, and to endanger our democracy?,” he further asks.