BJP leader, Hindu seers slam Shah Rukh Khan over KKR's signing of Mustafizur
Uttar Pradesh BJP leader Sangeet Som yesterday (1 January) accused Khan of investing money in a player from a country that was “working against India” and said Mustafizur would not be allowed to play in the IPL
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and two Hindu spiritual leaders have slammed actor Shah Rukh Khan after his Indian Premier League (IPL) team, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), acquired Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman for the tournament's next edition amid tension between the neighbouring nations.
Uttar Pradesh BJP leader Sangeet Som yesterday (1 January) accused Khan of investing money in a player from a country that was "working against India" and said Mustafizur would not be allowed to play in the IPL, according to Indian media reports.
"On one hand, Hindus are being killed in Bangladesh, and on the other hand, cricketers are being bought in the IPL. The traitorous film actor Shah Rukh Khan has bought Bangladeshi cricketer Rahman for Rs9 crore. Such traitors have no right to live in this country," Som said at an event in Meerut.
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"The people of this country have helped you to reach this position. If you get money, you get it from this country. But you have betrayed the country," he said addressing Khan, who co-owns KKR.
The BJP leader also warned that players like Mustafizur will "not be able to step out of the airport" if they come to India.
Hindu spiritual leader Jagadguru Rambhadracharya also slammed Shah Rukh Khan over the same reason. Yesterday, the seer told the media in Nagpur that this was very unfortunate and denounced attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh, reported ANI and PTI.
He said the KKR management should remove the Bangladeshi player and demanded that the money paid to the cricketer be given to families of Hindu victims as an apology.
"The management of KKR, their boss, should remove that cricketer [Mustafizur]. Rs9.2 crore that they are giving to that cricketer, that money should be given as an apology to the relatives of the Hindu children if they are in India, so that at least they can know that their feelings are with the Hindus," he said.
Another spiritual guru, Devkinandan Thakur, also criticised Khan for acquiring Mustafizur and urged the KKR management to not play him, according to NDTV.
"Devotees of Sanatan and Hindus, who made the KKR owner a star, see that the owner, without considering that Hindus in Bangladesh are being killed and burnt alive and girls are being assaulted, still includes Bangladeshi players in his team in India," he alleged.
However, Congress leader and MP Manickam Tagore condemned the remarks against Shah Rukh Khan, terming them an attack on India's pluralism, according to Indian media reports.
In a post on X, Tagore said hatred could not define nationalism and criticised the RSS for spreading division.
"Calling Superstar Shah Rukh Khan a 'traitor' is an attack on India's pluralism. Hate cannot define nationalism. RSS must stop poisoning society," Manickam Tagore said.
Mata Prasad Pandey, the opposition leader in the Uttar Pradesh assembly, criticised Som for his remarks and the BJP.
Congress leader Surender Rajput also slammed the BJP, calling it a "traitor" party. "They are attacking Shah Rukh Khan just because he is a Muslim," he told NDTV.
BJP ally and UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said Som makes such statements "to stay in the limelight".
Mustafizur who was bought by KKR for Rs9.2 crore during the IPL Players' Auction on 16 December. This is the highest salary ever paid to a Bangladeshi cricketer in the IPL – latest edition of which is reportedly scheduled to begin in March.
The previous record also belonged to Mustafizur. In the last IPL, he was signed by the Delhi Capitals for Rs6 crore. However, that deal was an off-auction replacement and not for the entire season.
Last month, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, founder of the Tipra Motha Party and royal scion of India's northeastern state of Tripura, also criticised the IPL and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over what he described as skewed recruitment priorities – referring to Mustafizur's acquisition.
Debbarma raised objections and arguing that expensive foreign signings reduce opportunities for domestic cricketers, particularly from India's North East. He said players from the region continue to be overlooked despite consistent performances, according to India Today NE.
