Gauahar Khan, Nakuul Mehta say it’s ‘time to unfollow’ AAP after their ‘Hindu gods on notes’ appeal

Celebs from the entertainment world have reacted to the Aam Aadmi Party’s appeal to the central government to put Hindu gods Lakshmi and Ganesh’s pictures on currency notes. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had first made this appeal in an address a few days ago, following which party leader Atishi Marlena had defended him. Now, actors Gauahar Khan and Nakuul Mehta have expressed their disappointment in the statement. Also read: Vishal Dadlani, Gul Panag’s messages amid AAP’s ‘Lakshmi-Ganesha’ appeal

Arvind Kejriwal had asked the central government to include the gods’ pictures on notes alongside Mahatma Gandhi, claiming that it would help the economy. After the statement faced backlash, MLA Atishi reacted saying, “You can continue to hate Arvind Kejriwal if you want to, but don’t hate Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha at least. Don’t hate their blessings. Don’t hate this country’s prosperity at least.”

Sharing the video of Atishi’s statement, Nakuul Mehta tweeted, “And they all fall down.. eventually.” Gauahar Khan was more verbose in her criticism. Without mentioning Kejriwal or Atishi, she wrote on Twitter, “Alas a leader who I thought was focused on development has fallen prey to the race of winning in politics. Religion is used only by the weakest kind of politicians . The greed of wanting to win a state election can make u so different. #sad Time to unfollow.”

Earlier, celebrities who had been backers and even members of the party had also criticised the statement. Gul Panag, who had once contested a Lok Sabha election on an AAP ticket, had tweeted, “Whether it’s a means to an end or an end in itself – bringing religion into everything, is a game everyone will play now. And not just politicians! Those who disagree can keep invoking the Constitution, in vain.” Music composer and singer Vishal Dadlani, a known supporter of the party and Kejriwal, also subtly criticised them on social media.

Meanwhile, several political leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as the Congress have criticised this appeal, saying that India is a secular nation and hence pictures of deities of one religion on currency notes would not be appropriate.