GUWAHATI: Hours after he said, “Who is Shah Rukh Khan? I don’t know anything about him,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday tweeted saying the actor called him over phone at 2 am and expressed concerns over protests in Guwahati against his latest film Pathaan.
“He expressed concern about an incident in Guwahati during screening of his film. I assured him that it’s the duty of state govt to maintain law & order. We’ll enquire and ensure no such untoward incidents,” Sarma tweeted.
Members of a right-wing organisation allegedly tore up and torched posters of the film in Guwahati. The movie is facing a backlash for showing actor Deepika Padukone clad in a saffron bikini in the song
Besharam Rang.
Sarma’s tweet comes a day after he said: “Who is Shah Rukh Khan? We have many Shah Rukh Khans here.” Sarma was responding to a question at a press conference on what action his government has taken against those involved in the torching of posters.
When pressed further, the Assam CM had said, “If somebody has done something which violated law and order and a case has been filed, we will take action. If there was a problem, Shah Rukh Khan would have called me. If he calls, I will see to it. I often get calls from Bollywood actors.”
The Opposition slammed Sarma, reminding him that he had stated only a day ago that he does not know the actor. “People who became Sanghis to form the government also have to become Congressmen to run the government on Raj Dharma,” senior Congress leader Pawan Khera tweeted.Speaking in Guwahati, Trinamool Congress leader Babul Supriyo said, “Shah Rukh Khan has a fan following across the world. By refusing to recognise him, Sarma and his BJP demonstrated their mindset towards minorities.”