Parrikar's remark proves anyone disagreeing with Modi Govt. has no space to dissent: Congress

Lambasting at Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for his comment on Bollywood actor Aamir Khan that 'anyone speaking against the country, must be taught a lesson', the Congress on Sunday said it established the fact that anyone who disagrees with Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has no right to live in India.

"The statement of Manohar Parrikar now establishes that the Dalits, the poor, the minorities, the artists and writers and anybody who disagrees with Modi Government has no space to dissent in India. More so, even right to live is being now snatched away," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told ANI.

Surjewala said the conspiracy that Parrikar has unknowingly now unleashed has exposed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) targeted the Snapdeal company, booked orders and cancelled in pursuance of a conspiracy with a single-minded opinion to ensure that Aamir was removed as the brand ambassador.

"Aamir Khan was attacked by BJP's acolytes, including BJP and RSS supporter is hither to unknown to India's independent history. It now establishes that there is a concerted conspiracy against the poor, the Dalits, the minorities as also writers, artists and anybody who dissent against Modi Government," he added.

Asserting that now the Defence Minister has exposed the ugly truth of conspiracy hatched by the BJP and the Modi Government, Surjewala said it now needs to be questioned as to what was that conspiracy, who was running it and which portion of the government was sponsoring it.

At the launch of the Marathi edition of a book by journalist Nitin Gokhale in Pune yesterday, Parrikar didn't take any name but hinted at Aamir while delivering his speech.

"How can anyone dare to talk ill about our country? If anyone speaks like this, they need to be taught a lesson. People have shown their power. An actor did this mistake. said his wife wants to go and stay in a foreign country. It was an arrogant statement. However small my house is, I have to love my house & aim to make it big bungalow," he said.

Parrikar said when Aamir made such a comment, the people discontinued their association with an online trading company he was associated with.

"Many people ordered and then returned the order to teach a lesson to the company, the company had to finally pull out his advertisement. Lessons on patriotism and respecting your motherland can only be learnt at home. When you treat your mother and father with disrespect, your kids see it, you can be sure he will treat u the same way," he added.

In November 2015 at the Ramnath Goenka Awards, Aamir had spoken about a sense of insecurity resulting from increasing intolerance in the country and mentioned his wife Kiran Rao's apprehensions about the future of their child in India.

A few months later, e-commerce giant Snapdeal, for which Aamir was brand ambassador, did not renew his contract.