Shah Rukh Khan, the co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders has invited the wrath of Marathi newspaper Samna. This is because while speaking to NDTV on choosing players for the IPL, Khan said that he believes Pakistani players should not be left out. He went on to say that there is a need for creating an environment where Indian Premier League franchisees can recruit Pakistani player with ease. Apparently, the Shiv Sainiks haven’t taken too well to this ‘suggestion’ and have demanded an apology from the star.
The Knight Riders had a number of Paki players in the 1st season of IPL, however, none of the 11 players were chosen for the new term, leaving the Pakistan team angry and humiliated. IPL Chairman Lalit Modi defends this by saying the decision was based on commercial consideration since it was not certain that Pakistani players bought at the auction would be available to the franchisees for the matches.
Commenting on this, SRK insisted that the situation could have been handled better. He said, “I truly believe they should have been chosen. We would have loved to have Pakistani players if they were made available legally.” He also said that he would take cricketers from across the border if his team had an empty slot.
In reaction to this comment, Shiv Sena activists questioned SRK’s patriotism and burn down posters of his upcoming film “My Name is Khan”. They have threatened to ban the screening of the film, unless the actor apologizes. “Shah Rukh should go to Pakistan if he wants to speak in favor of Pakistani players” said Shiv Sena leader, Anil Parab.
All Shah Rukh Khan is saying at present is “Whatever I said which has created an issue, I said it because I am an Indian. I think that every Indian would say the same that we have good country and that everyone is welcome as a guest. Every country has tension on its border but for that tension we cannot teach our children and young people the wrong thing.”
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