Congress, Dhirendra Shastri back Shah Rukh Khan, BJP cries ‘traitor’ over KKR selecting Bangladeshi player

The Congress on Thursday condemned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som's backing of Hindu spiritual figure Jagadguru Rambhadracharya's criticism of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for inducting a Bangladeshi cricketer in his Indian Premiere League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

The selection of Mustafizur Rahman, a Bangladeshi left-arm fast-medium bowler, in KKR has sparked reactions, with many slamming the same as it comes amid souring India-Bangladesh ties over attacks on Hindus.

BJP leader Sangeet Som - a former MLA from Uttar Pradesh - called actor Shah Rukh Khan "a traitor" and accused him of investing money in players "from a country working against India".

“The way Hindus are being persecuted in Bangladesh, women and girls are being raped, their homes are being burned, and anti-India slogans are being chanted there. Despite all this, traitors like Shah Rukh Khan, I'm calling him a traitor because everything he has is given by India, given by the people of India, but where do they invest this money? They invest it in players from a country that is working against India. I want to tell people like Shah Rukh Khan that they will not succeed,” Som was quoted as saying by ANI news agency.

Sounding a warning, Som said KKR will not be able to get Mustafizur Rahman to play in India “at any cost”.

"Rahman won't be able to step outside the airport," Som said.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore, strongly condemning the 'traitor' remarks, called the comments an "attack on India's pluralism" while saying that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) should stop "poisoning society".

Taking to X, Tagore on Thursday said, “Calling Superstar Shah Rukh Khan a 'traitor' is an attack on India's pluralism. Hate cannot define nationalism. RSS must stop poisoning society.”

Spiritual leader Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, known as Bageshwar Dham Sarkar, said while the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) will take call on the selection of Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladeshi cricketers should raise voice for the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh.

Dhirendra Shastri, the chief priest (Peethadhishwar) of the Bageshwar Dham temple in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur, also noted that such matters do not fall in the ambit of games but Bangladeshi players should speak up.

"BCCI will make the decision. But our point is that the Bangladeshi cricketers should raise this issue, that our Hindu brothers who live there should be protected and secured. They should be protected there, and they should not be harassed in any way. It is also their responsibility. A game is a game; a game has its own rules, and nothing like this applies to the game. But they should speak up for the nation and society...," Shastri said, speaking to ANI.

is a prominent Indian spiritual leader and the chief priest (Peethadhishwar) of the Bageshwar Dham temple in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh.

BJP leader Som's remark echoed Hindu spiritual leader Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya opinion which labelled Shah Rukh Khan's actions as “traitorous”.

"He [Shah Rukh Khan] is not a hero… His actions have been those of a traitor," Rambhadracharya had said and also questioned the Bollywood icon's “character”.

Another spiritual figure, Devkinandan Thakur, described Shah Rukh Khan-led KKR's selection of the Bangladeshi cricket player as “cruel”.

"In Bangladesh, Hindus are being brutally murdered, their homes are being burned, and their sisters and daughters are being raped. After witnessing such brutal killings, how can someone be so heartless, especially someone who calls himself the owner of a team? How can he be so cruel as to include a cricketer from that very country in his team?" Thakur said.

"This country made you a hero, a superstar, and gave you so much power that you own a cricket team. What were you before? You worked in a TV serial, earning ₹500-1000 a day," he said, according to ANI.

Thakur demanded that the management "remove that cricketer" and called for the player's reported remuneration to be redirected to families suffering in the neighbouring countries.

"As a gesture of apology and remorse, ₹9.2 crore, which is being given to that cricketer, should be given to the families of the Hindu children who are being killed there," he said.

Two more fatal attacks led to the deaths of two Hindu men in Bangladesh, a week apart. On December 24, a man identified as Amrit Mondal was reportedly lynched over alleged extortion in Rajbari town's Pangsha upazila.

In another incident on December 31, a Hindu businessman was brutally attacked, hacked and set on fire by unidentified miscreants in Bangladesh, according to police said.

The victim, identified as 50-year-old Khokon Chandra Das, was assaulted near Keurbhanga Bazar in Damudya in Shariatpur district on Wednesday night while returning home after closing his shop, Bengali daily Prothom Alo reported, quoting police.

What led to the attack is not known yet.