‘Rise of Hate & Intolerance’: Urmila Slams BJP After Joining Cong

Urmila Matondkar is reportedly being considered to contest from Mumbai-North constituency.

Rahul Gandhi with Urmila Matondkar.

(Photo: ANI)

A day after she joined the Congress party, actor Urmila Matondkar slammed the Narendra Modi government, saying that there has been a “rise of hatred and extreme intolerance over the last five years.”

Matondkar joined the Congress on 27 March in party President Rahul Gandhi’s presence.

“Under the current regime, there has been a rise of hatred and extreme intolerance towards everything and everyone in the last five years. It has grown by leaps and bounds. People should get back the power to make decisions. People should not be questioned about their patriotism, what they should eat and what their religious views should be. What is happening now is unacceptable,” Matondkar told News18.

Taking a dig at the trolls, she said if all the money the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was putting into trolling was put into ‘vikas’ then there would be development.

"If all the money going into that (trolling) was spent on 'vikas' then vikas (development) would have been around," Matondkar said, reported NDTV.

Responding to trolls who are questioning her religion, the actor-turned-politician said:

“If anyone thinks the trolling is going to stop me, I am going to have to tell them that I am from the land of Shivaji and there is no stopping us once we take a step forward.”

According to reports, Matondkar is being considered to contest from Mumbai-North constituency and take on BJP’s Gopal Shetty.

The 45-year-old actor made her Bollywood debut in 1981 in the Shashi Kapoor-Rekha starrer Kalyug. Mumbai's six Lok Sabha constituencies will vote on 29 April, in the fourth phase of polling.

(With inputs from NDTV, News18 and The Tribune)