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Aamir Khan faced a wave of backlash last year after he talked about his wife wanting to leave India fearing for their son’s upbringing in an ‘intolerant’ society. The actor is in the eye of the storm yet again. The Indian Express reported on Saturday that BJP MP allegedly called Khan a “traitor” or “desh drohi”.
Tiwari reportedly made the comment at a Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting on Friday in which members sought an explanation from the Tourism Secretary for replacing actor Aamir Khan with Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador of the Incredible India campaign.
Two explanations are making the rounds – a) Khan’s contract has ended with the account handler McCann WorldWide and b) he has been removed from his position as a result of his ‘intolerance’ comment.
Tiwari, however, denies making any such remarks.
Manoj Tiwari, BJP MPWhatever I said in the standing committee is a secret. And if the talks of the committee are coming out in public, then it is illegal. I have never used the word ‘traitor’ for Aamir Khan. I can never say a word like that for him in my entire life.
Tiwari also said, “if a newspaper has printed it I’ll send them a notice” and they should apologise immediately.
Earlier, Khan had released a statement saying it has been “an honour and a pleasure for me to be the Brand Ambassador for the Incredible India campaign for the past 10 years”.
I was happy to be of service to my country, and will always be available for it. I would like to clarify that all public service films I have done till date have all been free of any cost to me. It is always an honour for me to be of service of my country, and this is how it will always be.
Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan will now be the face of the Incredible India campaign.
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