(Image source from: HindustanTimes)
As the Lok Sabha 2019 elections in India are ongoing, the political cloud is filled with a buzzing tension.
Amid the general elections, many Bollywood celebrities have come forward to raise the awareness of voting. However, Alia Bhatt recently found herself in trouble after her statement of being a British citizen went viral. On the other hand, Alia’s mother Soni Razdan was also trolled heavily on social media for her post on Twitter requesting Indian voters to remember Junaid Khan before they cast their vote.
Alia Bhatt was recently quizzed during Kalank promotions whether she’ll vote, to which Alia revealed that she cannot vote because she holds a British Citizenship.
Meanwhile, her mother tweeted about Junaid Khan who was stabbed to death on a train near Ballabhgarh in Haryana. She took to her Twitter handle to share a misleading picture and requested the Indian voters to keep him in mind before voting. Soni was trying to imply that Junaid was killed for being a Muslim, despite the courts having already cleared that the cause of his murder was the spat over seat-sharing in a train compartment.
Her tweet led to a heavy trolling on social media and agitated netizens asked her not to impede in India’s business, as the mother-daughter duo hold British citizenship.
Finally, Soni has given a proper reply to all the hateful comments. She also confirmed holding a British passport but exclaimed that it does not prevent her from commenting on the malaise in Indian Politics.
Urging people to vote against hate has nothing to do with citizenship and everything to do with being a human being. We are all human beings first and citizens of the world we live in. Secularism and democratic principles are values and it’s those that I stand for. #VoteOutHate
— Soni Razdan (@Soni_Razdan) April 16, 2019
I do actually. My father is Indian. Lived in India since I was 3 months old. Pay taxes. Hold an Overseas Citizen of India card. If my hard earned income is good enough to be used to better this nation then I have a right to voice my opinions too. #VoteOutHate https://t.co/pizCzuTJEQ
— Soni Razdan (@Soni_Razdan) April 16, 2019
The debate on the citizenship status of certain Bollywood celebrities has created a row of controversies in this year’s general polls.
According to a report on Quint website, apart from Alia, Akshay Kumar as well cannot vote because he was a Canadian citizen.
-Sangam Sowmya
