Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya has sparked controversy. In a recent interview, he discussed Mahatma Gandhi and called him the ‘Father of Pakistan’. He claimed that Gandhi was ‘mistakenly’ called the ‘Father of India’ and justified his comment by adding that he was responsible for Pakistan’s existence.
According to reports, a Pune-based lawyer named Asim Sarode sent a legal notice to Bhattacharya, seeking an apology for his comment.In a podcast interview, the singer said, “Music composer RD Burman was bigger than Mahatma Gandhi. Like Mahatma Gandhi was the father of the nation, RD Burman was the father of the nation in the world of music”.
He further said, “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."
Pune based lawyer, Asim Sarode, who claims to be representing one Manish Deshpande and other law students, has threatened to initiate criminal prosecution against him if he fails to submit a written apology for his comments.
The notice said that the singer has crossed the lines by making such a statement. The lawyer while highlighting the contribution of the leader stated, “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 has said that the singer needs to get his facts checked as more than 150 countries have issued postal stamps on his name.