Updated 14:35 IST, July 23rd 2020
'Bollywood has connections with mafia operating in Pakistan, links exist': BJP's Jay Panda
BJP Vice president Baijayant Jay Panda says that Bollywood celebs have pictures with Pakistan generals and ISI, and added that such links should be renounced
Opening up an entirely new angle amid the explosive revelations of actor Kangana Ranaut on nepotism in Bollywood and Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide case, BJP Vice president Baijayant Jay Panda said that some Bollywood celebrities have verifiable links to ISI and Pakistan army. Urging the Bollywood stars to renounce such links, he on Thursday said that their funding also used to come from Pakistan. Terming it as mafia, the BJP leader said that there is a 'mafia operating with Pakistan' and it looks like these connections still exist. Moreover, he added that friends of many celebrities have pictures with Pakistan Generals & ISI.
Bollywood had connections with mafia operating with Pakistan, their funding also used to come from there. It looks like these connections still exist. Friends of many celebs have pictures with Pak Generals & ISI. They should renounce such links: BJP National VP Baijayant Panda pic.twitter.com/zEKfpaMrkZ
— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2020
Speaking exclusively with Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on Wednesday, Panda urged Bollywood personalities to cut links with individuals having ISI links. Elaborating on his tweet which created a buzz on social media, Panda mentioned that he had received feedback on the connection of people having ISI and Pakistan Army links with Bollywood. He added that there were multiple threads on Twitter containing photographic evidence of persons urging people to commit violence in Jammu and Kashmir. According to him, such individuals were seen partying with Bollywood personalities.
He added, "There is more than one thread that gives some photographic evidence of some NRIs and some Pakistani people living in Western countries. They have two kinds of track records- one, on social media, they are urging people to commit violence, and secondly, have been shown in Pakistan Army camps. And, they are shown partying and having business links with Bollywood personalities."
Panda refuted the notion that Bollywood stars can be insulated with cultivating such relationships at a juncture when the Pakistani military establishment was sending terrorists to kill Indians. Giving them the benefit of doubt, he asserted that the Bollywood personalities are patriotic. At the same time, he asked them to dump these "ISI handlers" and cut all links with them.
Published 14:35 IST, July 23rd 2020