Imran Khan, who was among the first celebrities to publicly back the student’s protest in Delhi and later joined a solidarity march in Mumbai, has now opened up about the difference between criticising the government and being unpatriotic. In a recent interaction, the actor shared his thoughts on why disagreeing with political leaders should not be mistaken for disloyalty to the nation.
Imran Khan on criticism of the government
Speaking on the idea that citizens must prove their love for the country by agreeing with those in power, Imran Khan made it clear that a politician cannot be equated with the nation itself. He said citizens have just as much right, if not more, to define what the country stands for.Speaking on the YouTube channel Yuvaa, he said, “The important thing to note here is that critique of a political official is not critique of a country. In case it needs to be said, no politician is the country. The people at any point, any people who stand up, are citizens. They are the country as much as any individual politician. If you have outnumbered that politician, by the laws of democracy, you are more of the country than that one politician.”He further added, “We have to also separate this idea. The idea that you have to defend your love for the country. I am asking a question of a politician. You are a public servant. You are an elected official. You have been selected by public demand to perform a task. You are not the country.”
Imran Khan’s support for the student protest
Imran Khan had earlier voiced strong disapproval after students were lathi-charged during a march to Parliament as part of the student’s protest. Taking to Instagram, he wrote, “Something broke in me today. Watching as police gassed and battered student protestors… how could I make sense of this? These students who worked hard, only to be failed by the system. These people who asked to be heard, only to be met with silence. These citizens who stood up to show what matters to them… beaten down and disowned by the establishment.”He continued, “Are these not the children of Mother India? If not them, for whom do we build, and whose future do we claim to protect? Those who demand ‘organisation’ from students protesting education reform, but don’t apply such lofty standards of accountability to established authority; bootlickers, one and all.”
Imran Khan’s upcoming project
On the work front, Imran Khan is set to make his acting comeback after a 10-year break with the Netflix romantic comedy ‘Adhure Hum Adhure Tum’, co-starring Bhumi Pednekar. The film is directed by Danish Aslam, who had earlier worked with Imran on ‘Break Ke Baad’.
