New Delhi: Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj took a pointed dig at actor Shah Rukh Khan for opting for a surrogate child despite siring biological children.
"Today, getting a child through surrogacy has become a fashion - a hobby, not a necessity. The bill won't allow this," said Swaraj. "Big celebrities who not only have one but two children, a son and a daughter, even then they went ahead with surrogacy."
The minister did not name anyone but the biggest celebrity who has a son, daughter and a surrogate child is Shah Rukh. The child, AbRam, is a celebrity in his own right in the digital space - and in IPL stands - because of his father's frequent posts about his antics.
Swaraj was sharp in her comments today. "Surrogacy is not a happy thing to exploit for (one's) own benefits. One cannot hire wombs of women for fun. This is done by these celebs only for their own whims and fancies because their wives don't want to go through labour pain," she said.
"What had been started as a need has now become a trend," Swaraj added.
Shah Rukh had earned the wrath of some BJP leaders after he added his voice to the chorus against intolerance.
Coincidence or otherwise, Aamir Khan, the other big star with a surrogate child, had also spoken out against intolerance.