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BJP backs Diljit Dosanjh amid Sardaar Ji 3 row, says Punjabi actor-singer a 'national asset'
“If there is a anguish, it can be expressed through a boycott or by urging that the film not be screened in India,” BJP national spokesperson R P Singh said.
The ongoing row over the casting of Pakistani actress Hania Amir in ‘Sardaar Ji 3’ has led to backlash for actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh, with people calling for boycott of the movie. Some have also demanded for Diljit's Indian citizenship to be revoked.
However, amid the online flak, the Bharatiya Janata Party has extended its support to Dosanjh, calling him a “national asset” and a “global ambassador of Indian culture”.
In a post on social media platform X, BJP national spokesperson R P Singh said that Dosanjh was a “celebrated artist”. He said that the call by the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), asking for the singer's Indian citizenship to be revoked, was “unfair” and “shockingly disproportionate”.
Defending Dosanjh's movie, Singh said it was shot before the Pahalgam terror attack. “If there is anguish, it can be expressed through a boycott or by urging that the film not be screened in India,” the BJP spokesperson said, adding that “attacking” Dosanjh's patriotism was “simply irrational”.
“Just days before the Pahalgam incident, the Indian cricket team played a match against Pakistan. Did FWICE or others object then? TV news channels routinely invite Pakistani guests to boost TRPs. Should those anchors now relinquish their citizenship too?” Singh questioned in the post.
He urged the FWICE to reconsider its stance and not to “weaponise patriotism”, while saying that it weakens our moral standing.
‘Have they forgotten Uri, Pulwama?’: FWICE on Sardaar Ji 3 row
While Diljit Dosanjh addressed the backlash for the movie's casting of Hania Amir, saying that these decisions are not in his control, FWICE objected to his working with a Pakistani artiste.
The federation has also written to the Government of India, seeking strong action against the film and its makers. “How have they forgotten Uri, Pulwama, or Mumbai attack or so many other attacks that Pakistan did on our country?” FWICE Chief Advisor and President, Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association, Ashoke Pandit, questioned.
He further said that Dosanjh was being “careless about emotions of this country”, adding that the singer had not condemned Hania Amir's remarks on Operation Sindoor and India.
The movie ‘Sardaar Ji 3’ was released overseas on Friday (June 27), but will not be available for the public in India.
