Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has become a butt of jokes on social media after he confessed to answering a phone call from Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan at 2 AM. This was hours after Sarma told reporters that he did not know Shah Rukh amidst reports of vandalism by Hindutva fanatics at a cinema hall, which is scheduled to screen Pathaan from 25 January.
Sarma tweeted, “Bollywood actor Shri @iamsrk called me and we talked today morning at 2 am. He expressed concern about an incident in Guwahati during screening of his film. I assured him that it’s duty of state govt to maintain law & order. We’ll enquire and ensure no such untoward incidents.”
Bollywood actor Shri @iamsrk called me and we talked today morning at 2 am. He expressed concern about an incident in Guwahati during screening of his film. I assured him that it’s duty of state govt to maintain law & order. We’ll enquire and ensure no such untoward incidents.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 22, 2023
Sarma on Saturday had stunned reporters by claiming to not know Shah Rukh when a representative from the Indian media drew his attention to the reports of Hindutva thugs ransacking a cinema hall in Guwahati.
“Who is Shah Rukh Khan. I don’t know who he is. I have so many Shah Rukh Khans here (in Assam),” he had said.
This was in this context that netizens began to mock Sarma after his extraordinary tweet confessing to receiving a call from the actor at 2 AM.
One user wrote sarcastically, “CM ji, my respect for you has increased. You talk to a man at 2 AM in the night despite claiming to not know him a day before. It’s a big deal.”
Another user said mockingly, “But sir according to you… who is @iamsrk.”
Another user wrote, “But sir yesterday you said that you don’t know who is #SRK? Means you were also looking for attention only.”
Pathaan is set to hit theatres in Hindi and Telugu on 25 January. Amidst calls for a boycott of the film by Hindutva fanatics, the film has seen an exceptional rise in advance bookings.
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