Why only Shabana Azmi?: Chidambaram on minister's tukde tuke jibe

New Delhi, Sep 04: Congress leader P Chidambaram took a veiled dig at Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra asking him why he stopped at Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar and Naseeruddin Shah and did not include Chidambaram in the list when he termed them as the 'sleeper cells' of the tukde-tukde gang.

Taking to Twitter, Chidambaram wrote "Why did the Home Minister of Madhya Pradesh stop with calling Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar and Naseeruddin Shah members of the tukde-tukde gang? I had declared in Parliament that I was a member of the tukde-tukde gang!"

""I had also pointed out that in the answer to a question, the MHA said that the government had "no information" on the tukde-tukde gang! If the Home Minister of MP has more information than the Union Home Minister, he should be appointed as the Union Home Minister!," he added.

Narottam Mishra who is known for his controversial statements termed actors Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, and lyricist Javed Akhtar "members of tukde-tukde gang's sleeper cell".

He accused them of not condemning the murder of a tailor in Rajasthan's Udaipur and the setting of a woman ablaze in Jharkhand recently and said this reflects their "cheap mentality".

"Recently, our daughter was set ablaze in Jharkhand. Has she said anything? No. If anything happens in the BJP-ruled state, then you see Naseeruddin Shah fearing about staying in the country. Then there is an award returning gang that will get active and they will shout," the minister said. This reflects their "cheap mentality". How can they be called decent or secular? It is a matter of thought. They all are exposed, he said.

"Actually, people like Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar and Naseeruddin Shah among others are all members of the Tukde Tukde gang's sleeper cell. Tell me whether she had said anything on the murder of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, no she didn't," Mishra told reporters on Friday.