Political protest snares Alia-Ranbir at Ujjain temple

Congress party slams Hindu outfit protest as 'political terrorism'

The film’s leads and real-life married couple Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor were unable to enter Ujjain’s famous Mahakal temple, one of their stops for the film’s promotion, as a decade-old statement from Kapoor about liking beef invited the ire of a Hindu outfit.

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, known for taking on Bollywood celebrities and their films, said that no one had prevented the actors from entering the temple. "They themselves decided not to go there, despite requests from the local administration," Mishra said. "The protest and the couple not offering prayers at the temple are separate matters. Action was already taken against the protesters."

Mishra then said that actors should not make statements that would hurt the religious sentiments of people.

The Congress party slammed the protest, with MP Congress Media Wing chief K K Mishra calling it "political terrorism". He tweeted, "Frightened by political terrorism, the actor couple returned from Ujjain without offering prayers at the Mahakal Temple. As his habit goes, the home minister, instead of acting against the hooligans, has actually given them a clean chit."

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi into the row. Posting an old photo of the prime minister with film actors, Chaturvedi tweeted, "None of this photo op will help if you'll continue to be mute spectators to hate and believe it's not your business to talk politics. They will come after you anyway. Mahakaleshwar temple protests in Ujjain are a case in point. Shame that political prejudice is leading to such ugliness…"