Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani on Tuesday rebuked filmmaker Karan Johar's recent remark on freedom of expression in the country.
"I don't know who has made such a statement. Who says there is no freedom of expression in the country? I can tell you that we didn't curtail the freedom of expression even during the British rule. Even post independence, a government tried to do it and we protested against it," Advani said while talking to the media after hoisting the national flag at his residence here.
"There is no question of freedom of expression being curtailed in the country today," he added.
Speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival last week, Johar had said freedom of expression is 'the biggest joke'.
"How are we democratic? How is there freedom of expression? Everywhere I go, I am scared, I am scared I am saying something in Jaipur and God knows who'll file a case when I reach home. So, I have become some kind of an FIR king now," Johar said.
"Revealing in today's time will land you in jail...we're in a tough country to speak about your personal life," he added.
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The intolerance debate has aggravated in the country post the recent remarks made by Bollywood stars Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan.
Aamir had earlier said that a sense of 'insecurity' and 'fear' was spreading in the country and revealed that his wife had questioned whether the couple should leave the country with their young son.
The actor, however, today stated that his comment was misconstrued.
Shah Rukh had earlier referred to 'extreme intolerance in India' after the lynching of a Muslim man in Dadri, over reports that he had stored beef in his home.