In the midst of global outrage over BJP politicians' statements against Prophet Mohammad, renowned actor Naseeruddin Shah stated on Wednesday that he hopes good reason prevails and the "hate wave" against Muslims subsides, even if it does not happen in his lifetime, news agency PTI reported.
The triple National Award winner further urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and "stop this poison from spreading" in an interview with a news channel.
"I would appeal to him (PM) to knock some good sense into these people. If he believes what was said at the 'Dharam Sansad' in Rishikesh, then he should say so. If he does not, then he should say so," he was quoted by PTI in its report.
The BJP suspended national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and fired Delhi media chief Naveen Kumar Jindal on Sunday over their provocative statements on the Prophet.
In response to Muslim organizations' objections to the statements, the party published a statement intended at assuaging minorities' fears and distance itself from these individuals, claiming that it respects all religions and vehemently condemns insulting any religious figure.
The divisive words spurred a Twitter trend in the Arab world calling for a boycott of Indian goods.
"These kinds of statements in a country like Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan, which we hope to include in 'Akhand Bharat' some day, would result in a death sentence because it would be considered blasphemous. Here, there was not a sound from the top and absolutely no acknowledgement of the hurt caused to millions of believers," Shah informed NDTV.
Following her ban from the governing party, Sharma offered an "unconditional apology," which the senior actor dismissed as "insincere."
"It's hardly meant to assuage hurt feelings. I wouldn't be surprised if such a hate speech occurs again. It's ironic you talk of peace and unity, you get locked up in jail for more than a year. You talk of genocide and you get a slap on the wrist. There are double standards working here. It's like the double-think of George Orwell's '1984'," he said.
According to Shah, Sharma is not a "fringe element," as the BJP claims.
He also said that it was "high time" for rational Hindus to speak out against anti-Muslim sentiment.
Shah blames TV news outlets and social media for "propagating hate."
In a reference to the ongoing case of the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi, Shah said, "It's a manufactured hate. It's a kind of venom that begins to spew when you are confronted with somebody with an opposite opinion... I wonder how long it is before the shivlings start to be searched under every church."
He did, however, criticize the murder threats made against Sharma and her family, who are currently under the protection of the Delhi Police.
"This route (threats) is wrong. That's why Pakistan and Afghanistan are in a mess. We do not want to emulate these countries but willy-nilly are we doing so. Not (for) just slaughtering a cow but on the suspicion of slaughtering a cow people are being lynched, untouchables who were skinning a dead cow are whipped in public. These are not the kinds of things that used to happen in India, but in barbaric Islamic countries," he said.
(With Inputs From PTI)