India
'Proud Indian' singer Abhijeet calls Ghulam Ali a 'dengue artist' from 'terrorist country'; slams media too
Updated : Oct 09, 2015, 12:33 PM IST
Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya on Friday, in a series of tweets, supported Shiv Sena's stance against Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali from performing in Mumbai, saying that 'nation and patriotism' took priority over music and branded the maestro as a 'dengue artist'.
Taking to micro blogging site, Abhijeet said, "These shameless people have no self respect, no work except terrorism. So called Hindu political parties jst shout 4 mileage bt never tk action agnst these Dengu Artists from terrorist country.These qawwals don't come here on their merit but due to paki Dalals #prestitute and @MaheshNBhatt,?".
While the singer's remarks have sent shockwaves, he was fully backed by the Shiv Sena, who said that they welcome his statement as he speaks for the nation.'
So called Hindu political parties jst shout 4 mileage bt never tk action agnst these Dengu Artists from terrorist country
— abhijeet (@abhijeetsinger) October 8, 2015
#GhulamGigCancelled kitni baar bhagaya bt these shameless hv no self respect no work except terrorism bt we feed them along wd prestitutes
— abhijeet (@abhijeetsinger) October 8, 2015
Also read: Shiv Sena’s antics over Ghulam Ali leave a discordant note in the world of art
Indian artists like actor Shabana Azmi, designer Wendell Rodricks and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt have expressed their displeasure towards the maestro's ban saying that music knows no boundaries, while Pakistan's censor board chief hoped that the Indian government will handle the issue 'responsibly'.
Ghulam Ali was 2 perform in commemoration of Indias beloved Jasjit Singh in gesture of goodwill.Ok 2talk tough with Pak Govt not its artists
— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) October 8, 2015
We live in an age of Micro Aggression ! Some of us regularly get abusive messages from various groups which are set up to scare us!
— Mahesh Bhatt (@MaheshNBhatt) October 9, 2015
Also read: Salman Verdict: Abhijeet loses the plot, calls the victims 'dogs'
Meanwhile defending its stance against Pakistani artists performing in India, Sena said what they had done was in true spirit of patriotism and slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for inviting the singer to perform in the national capital, accusing him of doing 'vote bank politics'.
Sena leader Sanjay Raut clarified that this was nothing personal and that they did not have any enmity with Ali.
"Our fight is with Pakistan, we do not have any enmity with Ghulam Ali. This is a patriotic sentiment and if Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee do not understand it, then it is unfortunate for them. They are doing vote bank politics through Ghulam Ali," Raut said.
The Sena mouthpiece Saamna in an editorial today said that banning Ali was their tribute to all the Indian soldiers, who had died in the recent ceasefire violations.
(With agency inputs)