Ashoke Pandit supports Paresh Rawal with 'heart and soul'

Hours after Bollywood actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Paresh Rawal raked up a Twitter storm after he took a jibe at noted writer Arundhati Roy, filmmaker and social activist Ashoke Pandit came in support of the saffron party leader asserting that Roy has always been an 'anti-national' person.

"I support Paresh Rawal's statement because it is a real expression and emotion. Arundhati Roy has always been anti-national; she has been supporting the terrorists in Kashmir," Pandit told ANI.

"She is not the only one to be blamed; there are many more, who deserve to be tied to a jeep and be treated the same. So, with heart and soul, I support Paresh Rawal," he added.

Earlier, Rawal took to Twitter to post a seemingly out-of-context tweet that conveyed the idea of 'tying' Roy to an Army jeep, drawing reference from a similar incident when a Kashmiri resident was tied to a jeep last month.

"Instead of tying stone pelter on the army jeep tie Arundhati Roy!", the Lok Sabha member tweeted on late Sunday night.

Rawal's tweet drew ire on the social media and people outrightly condemned the actor's "education." Many of them even highlighted the irony of his statement vis-a-vis his powerful performances in the movies.

One of the Twitter users wrote, "This tweet proves that lack of education ruins the ability of a Human to behave like a Human," while another tweeted, "Your acting was often commendable but your prejudiced mindset is condemnable. Telling d army to hide behind a brave woman is shameful."

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh also commented on the tweet.

Digvijaya wrote, "Why not the person who stitched PDP/BJP alliance?"

An award-winning writer, Arundhati Roy is known for her controversial views on Kashmir. She has also widely criticised the Army's role in the Valley.

In April, a Kashmiri resident, allegedly a stone-pelter, was tied to an Army jeep as a human shield. This incident sparked an outrage in the Valley and across the country, following which an inquiry was launched into the incident.