Virat and Anushka unpatriotic for not marrying where ‘Lord Ram got married’, says BJP MLA

Madhya Pradesh MLA Pannalal Shakya said Virat Kohli, who married actor Anushka Sharma in Italy, did not deserve to be a youth icon.

Updated on: Dec 19, 2017, 20:12:16 IST

Hindustan Times, Bhopal | By Shruti Tomar

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Cricketer Virat Kohli and actor Anushka Sharma are unpatriotic because they didn’t get married in India, a BJP legislator in Madhya Pradesh said on Tuesday, angering the opposition.

Cricketer Virat Kohli with actor Anushka Sharma in Florence on December 11, 2017, during their wedding festivities. (IANS Photo)

Launching a government scheme in Guna, 214 kilometres north of Bhopal, local MLA Pannalal Shakya said Kohli didn’t deserve to be called a youth icon because he married in Italy.

The couple got married in a Tuscan resort earlier this month in a closely guarded ceremony and shared photos of their wedding on social media. The cricketer and actor are among India’s most popular celebrities and stories of their romance have made headlines for years.

“They earned money and fame in India but they didn’t find any appropriate place to marry on the land where Lord Ram got married,” Shakya told a gathering. “They are unpatriotic for getting married abroad.”

Later, speaking to Hindustan Times, he confirmed his comments and added that he was upset with the couple.

His remarks triggered attacks from the opposition, who demanded an apology and argued that the MLA had no right to question the choices of individuals.

“Being a responsible legislator, Shakya shouldn’t have given such a statement… Does the BJP leader want others to ask him to decide the venue of marriage? Who is he to comment over celebrities’ choice of place for marriage. What kind of message they want to give by insulting a celebrity who is the pride of our country?” asked state Congress chief spokesperson KK Mishra.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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