Kangana Ranaut’s “countries don’t have fathers” remark sparks row
Senior Punjabi BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia also took issue with Ms. Ranaut's most recent comments.
On Wednesday, Kangana Ranaut, an actor and politician, stirred up fresh controversy by posting on social media about Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. In a tweet that seemed to minimize Mahatma Gandhi’s status as the Father of the Nation, the actor, who had previously come under fire for her remarks on the farmers’ protests, honored Lal Bahadur Shastri on his 120th birthday.
“Desh ke pita nahi, desh ke to lal hote hai. Dhanye hai Bharat ma ke ye lal (‘The country does not have fathers; it has sons. Blessed are these sons of Mother India)” Ranaut wrote on her Instagram Stories.
The actor acknowledged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a subsequent tweet for continuing Mahatma Gandhi’s tradition of cleanliness throughout the nation.
The BJP MP from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, has been embroiled in yet another controversy following her remark against Lal Bahadur Shastri and Mahatma Gandhi. Congress spokeswoman Supriya Shrinate has criticized Ranaut for her “lewd jibe” directed at Gandhi.
“BJP MP Kangana made this lewd jibe on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. Godse worshippers draw distinctions between Bapu and Shastri ji. Will Narendra Modi wholeheartedly forgive his party’s new Godse devotee? There is the Father of the Nation, there are sons, and there are martyrs. Everyone deserves respect,” Ms Shrinate said in a post on X.
Before the Lok Sabha elections in March, Ms. Shrinate was involved in a scandal due to an offensive post she made against the actor.
Senior Punjabi BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia also took issue with Ms. Ranaut’s most recent comments. “I condemn Kangana Ranaut’s comments made on Gandhi ji’s 155th birth anniversary. In her short political career, she has developed a habit of making controversial statements,” Mr Kalia said in a video posted on social media.
“Politics is not her field. Politics is a serious affair. One must think before speaking… Her controversial remarks cause trouble for the party,” he added.
Ms. Ranaut just started to get criticism this month for her support of bringing back the three agriculture laws that were abolished in 2021.
The actor said that the farmers’ protests against the three agricultural laws were creating a “Bangladesh-type situation in India” and that “dead bodies were hanging, and rapes were taking place” at the protest locations. The actor was elected as an MP in June.
Later, Ms. Ranaut withdrew her remarks, admitting that she should keep in mind that she is a member of the BJP in addition to being an artist.
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