Indian athletics legend Milkha Singh on Tuesday hit back at Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s father Salim Khan by saying that the movie industry hasn’t done any favour by making a film on him.
Salim has tried to defend his son’s appointment as the goodwill ambassador of the Indian contingent for the Rio Olympic Games.
The move to appoint Salman was questioned by several members of the Indian sports fraternity, including Milkha and 2012 London Olympics wrestling bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt. In his bid to defend his son, Salim tweeted on Monday: “Milkhaji it is not Bollywood it is the Indian Film Industry and that too the largest in the world. The same industry which resurrected you from fading away in oblivion.”
Salim referred to the soaring popularity the 80-year-old Milkha achieved after the release of a biopic on him named Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
In reply to this, Milkha repeated the comments he had made two days ago.
“Let him (Salim) have his views. I don’t have anything to say regarding this. I have already put in my views. All the members of the Olympic contingent are our ambassadors,” the multiple Asian champion was quoted as saying by Times Now news channel.
“The IOA should have thought of what’s the need of the ambassador. I’m saying that the team who all are going whether it is shooting, wrestling, boxing or athletics, they all are our ambassadors. Out of 120 crore people in India, they have been our ambassador then what is the need of any other ambassador?
“It doesn’t make sense to appoint someone in this role. If an ambassador is required, we have many great sportspersons, like Sachin Tendulkar, P.T. Usha, Ajitpal Singh, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore,” he added. (IANS)
