The Bharatiya Janata Party in Meghalaya observed a two-minute silence on Saturday to pay respect to the veteran actor Vinod Khanna after believing rumours about his death. However, the party later issued an apology after realising that they had committed a faux pas. Khanna is a BJP member of the Lok Sabha, representing the Gurdaspur constituency in Punjab.
Before starting a meeting on Saturday, party’s general secretary David Kharsati, asked other BJP members to observe a two-minute silence to remember Khanna. However, after the incident went viral, the BJP apologised and wished the actor a long life.
Kharsati said that two party members had watched the news on TV and informed them that the actor had died. “They said since he is a former MP of our party, we should pay our respects and we did so without verifying it,” the general secretary said, according to The New Indian Express. The party also said Khanna was responding well to the treatment.
Last week, a photo of a frail Khanna in his hospital gown standing with the help of his family members went viral on social media platforms. The image had sparked off rumours of his death. It was reported that the 70-year-old actor was suffering from cancer, but neither the doctors nor his family members have confirmed it.
Meanwhile, the hospital on Sunday said the actor was better now.
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