Kolkata: State secretary of CPI(M) in West Bengal, Md Salim, has filed a complaint against actor Paresh Rawal here on Friday for the latter’s viral comments about Bengalis while campaigning for the BJP in Gujarat.
In the complaint letter, Salim said that such speech on public domain has been made to provoke riots and destroy the harmony between the Bengali community and other communities across the country and cause public mischief.
According to Salim, the innuendo and insinuation made in the same speech by Rawal as regards all Bengalis is bound to arouse feelings of hatred and ill will among other communities against Bengalis.
“In fact, the comments made on social media with regard to the said provocative post show that the said video is generating a lot of adverse opinion about Bengalis,” Salim’s letter read.
According to Salim, as a large number of Bengalis live outside West Bengal, there is a possibility of them being prejudicially targeted because of the vicious remarks made by Rawal.
He also requested the officer-in-charge of Taltala police station to consider his letter as an FIR.
While campaigning for the BJP in Gujarat on Tuesday, Rawal had said, “Gas cylinders are expensive but they will come down. People will get employment too. But what will happen if Rohingya migrants and Bangladeshis start living around you, like in Delhi? What will you do with gas cylinders? Cook fish for the Bengalis?”
After his comments went viral, the actor tendered an apology.
“Of course, the fish is not the issue as Gujaratis cook and eat fish. But, to be clear, I meant illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingya. However, if I have offended your thoughts and views, I sincerely apologise,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra took a dig at Rawal with a tweet that read, “Actually Kemchcho Slapstickman need not have appologised. The 2nd part of ‘Cook Fish like Bengalis is Have Brains like Bengalis’. Most Nobel laureates than any other Indian state, buddy boy….”
–IANS