There is still a sense of sympathy for anti-nationals: Parrikar

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday said there was still a sense of sympathy for anti-nationals in India and also claimed that he was complimented by everyone for his recent comments, targeting actor Aamir Khan.

"There is a certain sympathy for people who are anti national. Therefore, what I said in Pune I would not like to repeat it here. Those who want to see it can see it on YouTube. No one has told me that you have said the wrong thing, every one said you have said the right thing," Parrikar told a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party Scheduled Caste morcha.

Parrikar, during a book release function in Pune recently, had in comments apparently targeting actor Aamir Khan, said: "One actor said my wife wants to go out of India... it was an arrogant statement. However poor my family is, however small my house is, I have to love my house and always aim to make a big bungalow out of it through right procedure.... You can't feel ashamed of your set up"

The remarks triggered controversy, with media reports stating that the former Goa Chief Minister's comments had unfairly targeted Aamir Khan. Later in his speech, Parrikar had also justified the targeting of Aamir Khan and Snapdeal, the e-commerce portal he was associated with.

Parrikar on Saturday also said that there were efforts being made to "defame the BJP".

"A lot of people are making efforts to create a misunderstanding about the BJP, which believes in taking all sections of society along together," Parrikar said.

The Defence Minister also said that the political opposition was hassled by the achievements of the BJP-led government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both in India and abroad.

"If the BJP government led by Mr. Modi, which has taken the fancy of the world, keeps going on in the way it does, then the parties which are opposing us, they will not last. The obvious message will be a BJP-led India. Those who worry about this, they raise these issues," Parrikar said.

--IANS

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