Unlike SRK, Assam CM knows Leo DiCaprio, and wants him to visit Kaziranga

Guwahati: A day after sharing a post to hail the Assam government for their efforts to curb rhino poaching in Kaziranga National Park, Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has got an invitation from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to visit the state.

In an Instagram post, DiCaprio wrote that the efforts of the Assam government met success last year as no rhinos were poached in Kaziranga National Park.

Taking to Twitter, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Preserving wildlife is integral to our cultural identity. We are dedicated to persevering and safeguarding our rich cultural heritage. Thank you for your kind words, @LeoDiCaprio, and I extend a warm invitation to you to visit Kaziranga and Assam.”

The Chief Minister further posted a screenshot of DiCaprio’s post on his Twitter account.

Last month, however, the Assam CM had raked controversy by asking “who is Shahrukh Khan? I don’t know anything about him or his film Pathaan” while responding to queries on violent protest by Bajrang Dal activists, who stormed a theatre in Guwahati.

A day later, however, Sarma had said that Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan talked to him over the phone at 2 am and expressed concern over the protests against his film ‘Pathaan’. Sarma posted on Twitter the next day that he had assured the actor that his government will enquire about the demonstration against the movie and ensure that “no such untoward incidents” would occur again.

Leonardo DiCaprio, in an Instagram post on Thursday, wrote that the Assam government, in 2021, had set out to end poaching of the greater one-horned rhinoceros at Kaziranga National Park following the killing of around 190 pachyderms for their horns between 2000 and 2021.

“In 2022, they met their goal and no rhinos were poached in the area for the first time since 1977,” the Hollywood star wrote.

Also Read | No rhinos poached in Assam: Leo DiCaprio praises landmark feat