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His name is Khan. He is an Indian

New Delhi - Neither have I ever told Gauri to join me in namaaz, but she joins. Never has she told me Gayatri Mantra se Diwali me pooja karte hain, but I join, says Shah Rukh Khan

 Less than 24 hours after India's most well-known actor, Shah Rukh Khan said "No one can question my patriotism. How dare anyone?" a senior BJP leader did just that.
Kailash Vijayvargiya, national general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party, accused the actor of treason and claimed his heart belonged to Pakistan.
In a series of tweets that at least one opposition party, the Trinamool Congress, has described as "sickening", the BJP leader who was made a senior office-holder by BJP president Amit Shah, said: "Shah Rukh Khan lives in India but his heart beats for Pakistan. His films earn crores in India but he sees intolerance here. If this is not treason, what is? At a time when India is due to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Pakistan and all anti-India forces have hatched a conspiracy. Creating a climate of intolerance in India is a part of this conspiracy. By singing the same tune of 'intolerance', Shah Rukh is acting in concert with Pakistan and anti-India forces."
Confronted with these statements, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told NDTV on Tuesday night criticised them on NDTV and said Vijayvargiya was not an authorised spokesman of the BJP.
The actor is not the first prominent cultural personality to be criticised by BJP leaders for expressing concerns about the direction the country is taking.
In a country where movie stars rarely cross the Lakshman rekha of dissent for fear that their films will be targeted, Shah Rukh Khan's decision to join the rising voice of the creative fraternity against the 'climate of intolerance' was a bold one.
The actor, with many memorable roles spread across his 27 years of Bollywood career, chose to air his views on the issue on his 50th birthday - an occasion that his huge fan base began celebrating outside his house in Mumbai from the dawn of November 2.
Responding to a query in a Twitter Townhall by TV Today, the actor said, "I do think there is intolerance, extreme intolerance. People put words in the air even before thinking. I think if this country is not going to be secular, happy in its approach, the youngsters are not going to stand for it . The only advice I can give at 50 to anyone is that [religious] intolerance - not being secular in this country - is the worst crime you can do as a patriot."
With many writers returning their government-sponsored awards in protest against growing intolerance and the lack of creative freedom, TV Today consulting editor Rajdeep Sardesai asked whether he might return his Padma Shri too. Khan said, "I mean just for a symbolic gesture, yes, if I have to. I respect those who returned [their] awards, but I don't have to."
Such plain speaking is uncommon in Bollywood. Unlike Hollywood, Indian actors may be seen campaigning for individual politicians during elections but they hardly ever take a stand on issues. Asked on India Today TV how he and his wife Gauri handled the fact that they belonged to different religions, SRK said: "By respecting each other's religion which we all should do. I have never told her to follow my religion, neither has she told me. There has never been a discussion on religion between me and Gauri ever. Neither have I ever told Gauri to join me in namaz, but she joins. Never has she told me Gayatri Mantra se Diwali me pooja karte hain, but I join. We never had to talk about it. We burst crackers on Eid and we have sevaiyan on Diwali," he said.
Full version of this article on www.thewire.in