Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya has received a legal notice from a Pune-based lawyer over his controversial podcast remarks, where he referred to Mahatma Gandhi as the "Father of the Nation of Pakistan."
According to India Today, lawyer Asim Saorde, representing his client Manish Deshpande, has sent a legal notice to Abhijeet Bhattacharya demanding an apology for his remarks. The notice warns of criminal prosecution if the singer fails to apologize.
In a podcast interview, Abhijeet Bhattacharya compared music composer RD Burman to Mahatma Gandhi, stating that while Gandhi was regarded as the father of the nation, RD Burman held a similar stature in the world of music.
He further stated, “Mahatma Gandhi was the father of the nation for Pakistan and not India. India already existed, Pakistan was carved out of India later. Gandhi has been mistakenly called the father of nation for India. He was the one responsible for the existence of Pakistan."
The legal notice warned that if Abhijeet Bhattacharya does not apologize, a complaint will be lodged against him under Sections 353 (public mischief) and 356 (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The lawyer emphasized on the leader's contributions, stating, “Gandhi worked tirelessly for Hindu-Muslim unity and to promote the ideals of brotherhood. When the political situation during the Independence movement was on the verge of dividing India into two nations, Mahatma Gandhi stated, 'To accept partition, it will be over my dead body. So long as I am alive, I will never agree to the partition of India'.”
The lawyer also stated the need for Bhattacharya to verify his claims, pointing out that over 150 countries have issued postal stamps honoring Mahatma Gandhi.
Abhijeet Bhattacharya has made headlines recently for his outspoken remarks. He criticized Dua Lipa for not crediting him during her Mumbai performance of the ‘Levitating x Woh Ladki Jo’ remix. Additionally, in a recent interview, he revealed that he collaborated with AR Rahman only once, citing issues with punctuality during their recording sessions.
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