February 13, 2020
Indian poet Javed Akhtar on called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a 'fascist' in an interview to Al Jazeera.
Joined by Bollywood Director Mahesh Bhatt, Akhtar he asked during the interview whether he thinks the Indian prime minister is a fascist given.
"Of course, he is. I mean, fascists don't have horns on their heads. Fascist is a thinking. And thinking that 'we are better than others and whatever problems we have, it is because of these people'... the moment you hate people in wholesale, you're a fascist," he answered.
When Mahesh Bhatt was asked whether he thinks India was Islamophobic, he said: "Well, I think Islamophobia, the winds of Islamophobia blew through the world after 9/11 and I think the phobia here is manufactured, because I don't think the average Indian is so frightened of a Muslim."
The director went onto say that to hate the Muslim is the lifeline of the BJP. "Let's not mince our words," said he.