BJP MP Kirron Kher in Parliament: Questioning the "tolerance" of intellectuals who returned their awards, Kher said where was their intolerance during ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits or the anti-Sikh riots and questioned the yardstick or data being used to measure intolerance. "These intellectuals had accepted awards from the Congress," she said. Noting that a "perception of intolerance was being created", she asked where was the tolerance of Congress when Amitabh Bachchan's invitation as Chief Guest at the Goa Film Festival was withdrawn when UPA was in power.


She, however, also said there were "wrong statements from both the sides" and condemned the attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni allegedly by Shiv Sena activists.


She also referred to an alleged attack by NCP when her husband and actor Anupam Kher supported the Anna movement and said "fringe elements are everywhere."


To this NCP's Supriya Sule said, "For all this time those who did it were hooligans. But this time they are your partners in the government." This also led to protests by Shiv Sena members.