Move over Bhajji, this is the new Slapgate: Slap Aamir Khan and get Rs 1 lakh reward, Shiv Sena offers

As if the hullaballoo over Aamir Khan’s remarks  hadn’t spiralled enough out of control, the Shiv Sena’s Punjab unit (be honest, how many of you actually knew the Sena even had a Punjab unit?) has gone one step further and announced a reward of Rs one lakh for each slap landed on the actor. That’s right, the party’s Punjab chairman Rajeev Tandon made the announcement during a protest outside Ludhiana’s MDB Radisson Blu, where Aamir is staying for the ongoing shoot of his upcoming film Dangal, reports The Indian Express . Before this turned into a nationwide slap-a-thon, Tandon was quick to clarify the terms and conditions of his ‘Slap Aamir’ contest. The report quoted him as saying, “We give an opportunity to the manager and employees of the hotel and also the team of his film to slap Aamir and get Rs 1 lakh from us. The courageous and patriotic persons who will slap Aamir Khan in Ludhiana will get Rs 1 lakh reward per slap from us.” To recap: You have to be a manager or employee of the hotel, or from his film team to qualify for the reward. Also, slapping undertaken in Ludhiana will be honoured. That’s Madhuri Dixit out of contention, then:

It’s possible that being ‘courageous and patriotic’ is also a prerequisite, but that’s likely also the catch. Never mind patriotism, would a courageous person slap someone for expressing an opinion? Keeping it classy as always, the Sena mouthpiece Saamana carried an article accusing the actor of having become a ‘self-appointed mullah’. The piece goes on to add that “such persons already enjoy too much freedom”. And of course, there were the usual refrains of “ Go to Pakistan ”, which actually merit a bit of investigation. Could it be that the Shiv Sena is the covert PR wing for the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation ? If that’s not something you want to wrap your minds around, here are some tweets in response to ‘Slap Aamir’ contest: