NEW DELHI: BJP MLA Ritesh Tiwari on Saturday hit out at veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah over his support for protesting students at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata.“Naseeruddin Shah is, by lineage, an opponent of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Sangh. I also know his elder brother. His daughter is married in Kolkata; she is the daughter-in-law of a CPI(M) leader and has even contested elections. When ministers from West Bengal and the Mayor of Kolkata were raising the slogan of Dawat-e-Islam, why was Naseeruddin silent?… These are people who dance to the tune of foreign money, and the people of this country are watching,” Tiwari said.His remarks came after the veteran actor had criticised the BJP-led government in West Bengal over the reported action against students protesting at the institute. In a video posted on Instagram, the actor alleged that the students were facing reprisals for demanding accountability from the administration and accused the government of targeting those who did not subscribe to its views.“The BJP… after its manipulative victory in the Bengal elections now seems all out for revenge on anyone who does not subscribe to their beliefs and their policies,” Shah said, adding that students had been served show-cause notices, placed under surveillance, threatened and asked to vacate their hostels.
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The actor also urged citizens to support the students, describing them as future filmmakers who would tell the truth about the country and the state of affairs.The controversy follows protests over alleged campus violence on September 27. Filmmaker Payal Kapadia had also expressed solidarity with the students, alleging that people affiliated with the RSS had entered the campus and assaulted students, including female students. She questioned the action taken against students who had sought accountability from the administration.
