Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, on Tuesday, took a veiled dig at Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar over his citizenship. For those unversed, on the occasion of Independence Day this year, Akshay shared proof of being an Indian citizen. The 56-year-old actor often faced criticism over his Canadian citizenship.
Taking to her official X account, Priyanka Chaturvedi shared a news article with the headline "Indians no. 1 in getting citizenship of rich nations". The article also mentioned that Indians were one of the largest groups acquiring citizenship in affluent countries, with Canada experiencing a significant rise in granting citizenship to foreign nationals, including Indians.
Without mentioning any names in her post, Priyanka wrote, "Why are Indians wanting to abandon the citizenship of their country to go to richer countries? Baffles me. Didn’t a Canadian but now an Indian citizen tell us that he did this because people abroad have new found respect & they say ‘Oh, you’ve come from the country of Modi'."
During an interview with ANI, Akshay had reportedly stated, "To hold the Indian passport is the best thing. When you show it to the immigration office, they are like, ‘Oh, Indian, Bollywood, Modi.' They say (it) like that. They don’t even know who I am. To hold an Indian passport is an honour."
Earlier, Akshay had stated that he had applied for an Indian passport a couple of years back, however, the process was delayed because of COVID-19.
In February 2023, the actor addressed the matter and stated that he would want to become an Indian citizen again after denouncing his Canadian citizenship.
During one of his interviews, Akshay said he feels bad when people say things without knowing the real reason for him taking up Canadian citizenship. "India is everything to me. Whatever I have earned, whatever I have gained is from here. And I'm fortunate that I get a chance to give back. You feel bad when people say things without knowing anything," he had said during an interaction with AajTak.
Akshay Kumar's upcoming films
Akshay was last seen in Mission Raniganj with Parineeti Chopra. The film hit the big screens on October 6 and received mixed reviews from critics as well as the audience. The actor now has an interesting line-up of films.
Akshay will next be seen in Hera Pheri 3 with Paresh Rawal and Suniel Shetty. He also has Bade Miyan Chote Miyan co-starring Tiger Shroff in the pipeline. He recently announced Welcome To The Jungle with over 20 co-stars.
