Shabana Azmi clarifies her stand on 'will leave the country if Modi becomes PM' statement, here's what she said

Actress Shabana Azmi took to her Twitter handle to clarify her stance on a controversial statement that was circulating on social media. Was it true or fake news? The actress answered on Twitter.

Busting the fake news, Shabana Azmi wrote: ". "मोदी अगर प्रधानमंत्री बन गए तो देश छोड़ दूँगी"शबाना आज़मी
This is PURE FABRICATION. Ive never said this and i have no intentions of leaving the country. This is where I was born and this is where Ill die.I hve nothing but contempt for The Fake News Brigade."

She further called the 'fake news' brigade 'pretty pathetic' and said: "The Fake News Brigade is pretty pathetic. Their overdrive exposes their fear at losing out. Issues pe baat kar nahi sakte tto chalo jhoot itni baar bolo ke usey log sach maan lein is their motto.But they r falling flat on their faces bcoz there r enuf brave voices exposing dem. My father @AzmiKaifi taught me to never treat my opponents like my enemies. Maturity lies in discrediting the argument with logic not discrediting the opponent by falsehood and http://innuendo.How  I wish sane debate wud prevail rather than d muck thats thrown on a daily basis. [sic]

Here's the post -

In other news, Shabana Azmi recently grabbed headlines when she addressed a crowd for CPI candidate Kanhaiya Kumar. Shabana along with lyricist and screen-writer Javed Akhtar were in Begusarai campaigning for Kanhaiya Kumar. 

READ | After Swara Bhasker, Javed Akhtar Campaigns For Kanhaiya Kumar. Here's What Shabana Azmi Posted

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi has opined that it is essential for people to understand that mixing patriotism with nationalism is a political conspiracy in which they should not get involved at all.

The actor said it is essential that people understand the difference between patriotism and nationalism.

"Nowadays there is a situation in our country when you are not allowed to say that anything is wrong with your country, you then become an anti-national and this is done as a political conspiracy because there is a difference between nationalism and patriotism," Azmi said. 

She was addressing questions from the audience during a session dedicated to poet Kaifi Azmi at the first edition of the Dehradun Poetry Festival here, which is marking his birth centenary year. 

Elaborating on patriots and nationalists, the actor said the former are "people who love their country and do not want any wrong to exist in their country so they criticise it because they want their country to be good." 

(With inputs from ANI)