(Image source from: Actor Aamir Khan shares growing disquiet})

Actor Aamir Khan has earlier joined the debate on "rise in intolerance" by saying that his wife Kiran Rao suggested about leaving the country and shared his 'growing disquiet’. The comments are called by the government as "alarmist" and an attempt to tarnish the image of India.

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "We won't let Aamir leave the country, he is safe. This kind of comment influenced by a politically motivated campaign insults those who have given so much honour to Aamir in India."

Junior Home Minister, Kiren Rijiju, said that the death number in communal incidents came down after BJP has come to power in 2014. He said, "This is unnecessarily tarnishing the image of the nation."

Aamir Khan spoke at the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism awards on Monday that, "When I chat with Kiran at home, she says, 'should we move out of India?' That's a disastrous and big statement for Kiran to make. She fears for her child. She fears what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers every day. That does indicate that there is this sense of growing disquiet, there is growing despondency apart from alarm."

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi came out in Aamir Khan's support and tweeted saying, "Instead of branding all those who question the Govt & Modiji - as unpatriotic, anti-national or 'motivated'. The Govt would do better to reach out to people to understand what's disturbing them. That's the way to solve problems in India - not by bullying, threatening & abusing!"

Opposition parties like Congress held up the incidents like attacks on rationalists, a mob killing man over beef-eating rumors and controversial statements from central ministers as examples of intolerance under the current regime.

PM Narendra Modi said, "India is committed to protecting every citizen's freedom, and the law will deal severely with those who are intolerant."

Earlier, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tweeted in support of Aamir Khan, saying, "BJP should stop silencing voices through abuses and threats. It's high time that Central government took concrete steps to instil sense of security amongst people."

-Sumana