Intolerance row: After criticism, Aamir Khan clarifies; says he is proud to be an Indian [Full Text]

Mumbai, Nov 25: After getting blasted from all quarters, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan was on Wednesday, Nov 25, forced to clarify his controversial remarks on 'intolerance', that snowballed into a massive outrage.

According to TV reports, 50-year-old actor, the recipient of Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan in 2003 and 2010 respectively, said that his statement was distorted.

Khan said, "I am proud to be an India. I do not have any intention of leaving India", while at the same time maintaining that he stands by his comments.

Khan's clarification came shortly after a sedition case was filed against him at in a court in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Here is the Full statement of Aamir Khan's clarification:

"First let me state categorically that neither I, nor my wife Kiran, have any intention of leaving the country. We never did, and nor would we like to in the future. Anyone implying the opposite has either not seen my interview or is deliberately trying to distort what I have said. India is my country, I love it, I feel fortunate for being born here, and this is where I am staying.

Secondly, I stand by everything that I have said in my interview.

To all those people who are calling me anti-national, I would like to say that I am proud to be Indian, and I do not need anyone's permission nor endorsement for that.

To all the people shouting obscenities at me for speaking my heart out, it saddens me to say you are only proving my point.

To all the people who have stood by me, thank you. We have to protect what this beautiful and unique country of ours really stands for. We have to protect its integrity, diversity, inclusiveness, its many languages, its culture, its history, its tolerance, it's concept of ekantavada, it's love, sensitivity and its emotional strength.

I would like to end my statement with a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, it's a prayer really :

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, Where knowledge is free, Where the world has not been broken up into fragments, by narrow domestic walls, Where words come out from the depth of truth, Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection, Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way, Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit, Where the mind is led forward by thee, Into ever-widening thought and action, Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake."

What Aamir Khan had said?

During an award function, Khan had said, "When I chat with Kiran at home, she says, ‘Should we move out of India?' That's a disastrous and a big statement for Kiran to make. She fears for her child. She fears about what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers every day."

"There is this sense of growing disquiet. There is growing despondency apart from alarm. You feel why this is happening, you feel low. That sense does exist in me," he had added.

Here are some tweets on Aamir Khan's clarification:

@sidin Aamir Khan reveals to Raveena Tandon he never liked India https://t.co/XXURLS74fb

— Raju Das | ৰাজু দাস (@rajudasonline) November 25, 2015

The only thing #AamirKhan 's episode made us realise is that, ' Ravenna Tandon ' is still alive.

— Kc (@FakingAround) November 25, 2015

But you @aamir_khan should seriously consider leaving Intolerant India asap. https://t.co/CJsViBbxf3

— Sunil Kumar (@ModiFansClub) November 25, 2015

List of the persons who opposed Visa of USA for Narendra Modi. 1. Aamir Khan- Actor, Mumbai 2. Aditya-Ceo,... https://t.co/oCqN3y5uzu

— Abhishek Aaditya (@abhishek1chandr) November 25, 2015

Brilliant response by @aamir_khan! Thank you for Tagoring us Aamir, we actually need to remind ourselves of our true values.

— Chetan Joshi (@jossolid) November 25, 2015

After #antinational skewed motivated remarks, #AamirKhan goes cry baby!He's saddened by the reaction!He has saddened millions, does he care?

— Atanu Banerjee (@atanu4ever) November 25, 2015

Every moron who is suffering from foot in mouth disease says his statement has been distorted. Come on Aamir Khan we saw the video.

— Mohan Almal (@Mohanalmal) November 25, 2015

Now an endorsement for Aamir Khan coming from Pakistan - https://t.co/wGpppqfssy

— Anjoria (@Anjoria) November 25, 2015

#AamirKhan will not leave his market.err.. country, but will he let Jessica Hine visit India? Media should debate this.

— रवि कांत (@LegalKant) November 25, 2015

To Mrs. Kiran Rao, W/0 Aamir Khan Dear Kiran "When wife feels unsafe, its time to change Husband & not the... https://t.co/VPDBnlAYVs

— jiteshghanchi (@jiteshghanchi) November 25, 2015

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