Parineeti Chopra No Longer 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' Ambassador

Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests have spread across the country and as Bollywood is being heavily criticised for its silence over the issue, there are some actors who had to pay a price for speaking up about it. The latest to bite the dust is Parineeti Chopra who has reportedly been dropped as the brand ambassador of government's ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign in Haryana state. This happened after Chopra tweeted against the violent attacks on protests demonstrating against CAA all over the country.

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On December 17, Chopra tweeted, “If this is what’s gonna happen everytime a citizen expresses their view, forget #CAB, we should pass a bill and not call our country a democracy anymore! Beating up innocent human beings for speaking their mind? BARBARIC.”

If this is what’s gonna happen everytime a citizen expresses their view, forget #CAB, we should pass a bill and not call our country a democracy anymore! Beating up innocent human beings for speaking their mind? BARBARIC.

— Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) December 17, 2019

While the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government has not issued any official statement confirming the removal of Chopra from the position of state brand ambassador of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, officials have implied that no formal letter has been issued rejecting her endorsement.

However, Congress leaders have called the government out after reports of Chopra's removal surfaced. “You can’t suppress their voice by removing her from the brand ambassador,” senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted on Thursday. Haryana Congress president and Rajya Sabha MP Kumari Selja tweeted, “With such low-level tactics, the BJP can’t suppress the voice of our daughters.”

Haryana CM’s Advisor on Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign, Yogender Malik clearly stated “as per my information, Parineeti Chopra is no longer our brand ambassador” but he hesitated from mentioning when exactly her term ended as she was appointed in 2015. She originally belongs to Ambala in Haryana because of which she was chosen as the brand ambassador.

“She participated in just one function in Gurgaon in July 2015 when the government had announced her nomination for the responsibility of Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign brand ambassador,” Malik told  Indian Express.

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BJP state president Raman Malik spoke up on the issue as he said that appointment or removal from the position in a government campaign is the prerogative of the government. “Brand ambassador is not a permanent assignment. It is possible that the Gandhi family is Congress’s perpetual brand ambassador. (Those who are levelling allegations) are unemployed people of Congress who don’t have any work),” Malik added, IE reported.

“She participated in just one function in Gurgaon in July 2015 when the government had announced her nomination for the responsibility of 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign brand ambassador”

In 2015, when Chopra was nominated as the brand ambassador of the campaign, the Health Minister Anil Vij had publically expressed his objection with the move. “I do not have any information of anybody appointed brand ambassador of my department for ‘Beti Bachao’ programme,” Vij had tweeted then. In 2016, wrestler Sakshi Malik was also nominated as the state brand ambassador of the campaign without any news of removing Chopra from the position.

Another actor Sushant Singh has also been removed from his show Savdhaan India after the actor tweeted in support of the ongoing anti-CAA protest. The actor himself has confirmed the news on Twitter on Wednesday.

And, my stint with Savdhaan India has ended.

— सुशांत सिंह sushant singh ‏سشانت سنگھ (@sushant_says) December 16, 2019