E-Paper
Vivek Agnihotri says 'someday will know why Bollywood...' amid Ahmed Patel row
As a Gujarat SIT claimed late Congress leader Ahmed Patel paid Teesta Setalvad ₹30 lakh to destabilise the then state government in 2002, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri said someday it will be revealed why Bollywood was part of anti-CAA and farmers' protest.
As Gujarat Special Investigation Team has claimed that later Congress leader Ahmed Patel paid activist Teesta Setalvad ₹30 lakh to destabilise the Gujarat government following the 2002 riots, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri said someday the funding behind the anti-CAA protest and the farmers' protest will also be revealed which will shed light on why Bollywood stars were part of it. Also Read | ‘His name still holds weight…’: Ahmed Patel's daughter amid Congress veteran's charges in Teesta Setalvad case
"I hope sometime soon we will also get to know who funded anti-CAA - Shaheen Bagh and Farmer’s protests. Why Bollywood stars were part of it?" the maker of The Kashmir Files said.
Between 2019 to 2021, India saw two massive protests -- one against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the other by the farmers against three farm laws. The farm laws were rolled back by the government. Several Bollywood celebrities came out in support of the protests.
Vivek Agnihotri's dig comes following the revelation of the Gujarat SIT which said activist Teesta Setalvad was part of a larger conspiracy to destabilise the then government. The Congress strongly refuted the charges and said it is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "systematic strategy to absolve himself of any responsibility for the communal carnage" of 2002.
Teesta Setalvad's former aide Rais Khan Pathan said he went with Teesta Setalvad when she was called by Ahmed Patel, the then political advisor to the Congress president.
"Following the 2002 Gujarat riots, when Ahmed Patel first called Teesta over to meet up at Circuit House, I tagged along with her. Ahmed Patel told Teesta that he was familiar with her role in the Babri Masjid riots," Pathan said. "Ahmed Patel assured funds to Teesta from his own party, and from agencies across the country and overseas. Initially, an amount of ₹5 lakh was given to Teesta. Later, an amount of ₹25 lakh was handed over to Teesta," he said.
