Saddened by Anurag Kashyap’s weed allegations, says BJP leader Ravi Kishan

A war of words erupted between eminent Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap and Lok Sabha MP Ravi Kishen over the movie industry's connection to drug scandals.

Director Anurag Kashyap alleged that BJP leader Ravi Kishan used to consume marijuana earlier and objected to the MP's “self-righteous” current stance on the drug. Although, the director stated that he had no qualms with Kishan “smoking up”

The Lok Sabha MP took offence to Kashyap’s statements, saying he did not expect “such words” from the director.

Ravi Kishan had previously praised the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) as it probed late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s former partner Rhea Chakraborty for alleged possession of drugs.

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"We know the problem of drug trafficking and drug addiction is increasing. In this conspiracy, our neighbouring countries are involved... Drugs come to this country via China and Pakistan. Our film industry, too, is affected. The Government should stop this conspiracy of neighbouring countries to destroy our youth," had said Kishan, which Kashyap brought up in an interview with Faye D'Souza.

“I didn't expect such words from Anurag Kashyap. It's no secret I am a devotee of Shiva so I chant his name. I'm saddened he would not support me on this issue of the war on drugs & say that I smoked up & am now clean just because I'm a minister, which I'm not,” the BJP MP told news agency ANI.

Meanwhile, Kashyap mentioned he had seen more people smoke up in college than he did in Bollywood. Kashyap studied in Delhi University’s Hansraj College.

"You need to clean up the country. Clean up the ghats of Benaras. Clean up UP (Uttar Pradesh), bhang is legal there. I'm not a person who would say I'm against marijuana. I don't use it. I can't use it. I wish I could use it. People are legalising it across the world. Marijuana is so good for so many ailments. And, if somebody is advocating it I will stand with that," said Kashyap in an interview.

He also discussed his own struggles with chemical drugs before he made Dev.D.

"I would hide and try to procure them and find out secretively where to get them. My biggest fear was that nobody found out that I was doing that. I started talking about it (the drug phase) much later in 2014," he said in the interview.