After Akshay Kumar, Kay Kay Menon slams Richa's Galwan tweet
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar took to Twitter to show his disappointment over Richa Chadha's tweet on the Indian Army. Soon thereafter, Chadha found criticism from Kay Kay Menon as well. The original tweet was in response to Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi's comments on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's remarks on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Chadha later deleted the tweet and issued an apology.
Why does this story matter?
The Fukrey actor has been politically and socially vocal in the past and has never minced her words. She has used her celebrity status and critiqued the Modi-led government since 2014. However, her snappy mention of Galwan while sharing the Lieutenant General's statement was not appreciated by the majority. In a rare sight, many A-listers are speaking out against her publicly.
Menon became latest celebrity to slam Chadha
Taking to Twitter, noted actor Kay Kay Menon bashed Chadha's tweet on Friday. "Our brave men [and] women in uniform, put their life on the line to keep every citizen of our nation safe [and] secure!" wrote Menon alongside attaching a screenshot of Chadha's deleted tweet. "[The least] we can do is to behold love, respect [and] gratitude in our hearts, toward such valor!"
Read Menon's post here
This is what Kumar had said before
The Khiladi actor shared a screenshot of Chadha's deleted tweet and wrote, "Hurts to see this. Nothing ever should make us ungrateful toward our armed forces. Woh hain toh aaj hum hain [we exist because they exist]." Chadha's deleted tweet read, "Galwan says hi," in response to Lieutenant General Dwivedi's comments on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's remarks on PoK.
Chadha's apology following the flak
In her apology, she said that it was not her intention to offend anyone and it would sadden her if her words unintentionally triggered her army brothers. She stated, "...my own Nanaji has been an illustrious part. As a Lt. Col, he took a bullet in the leg in the Indo-China war, in the 1960s. My Mamaji was a paratrooper. It's in my blood."
The 'Wasseypur' actor's take on martyrdom
Chadha further stated, "A whole family is affected when their son is martyred or even injured while saving the nation which is made up of people like us and I personally know how it feels. It is an emotive issue for me." Before issuing her apology, she also mentioned that she had no idea that her tweet would cause such waves around the media.
Read Chadha's entire apology tweet here
Political context on Indo-China Relations
India and China have been in dire straits in their bilateral relationship for decades. The recent standoff in eastern Ladakh has been for over 29 months. The bilateral relationship peaked with the clash in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June 2020. This led to many business avenues being closed. Following that, several Chinese applications were banned in India.
