Actor and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kangana Ranaut has stirred up yet another controversy as her Instagram Stories posts appeared to downplay Mahatma Gandhi’s status as the Father of the Nation. She published an article on Gandhi Jayanti paying tribute to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary.
The Mandi MP has been heavily criticized for his remarks since winning the Lok Sabha polls. Recently, her remarks on farmers’ protests drew the ire of opposition members.
“Desh kepita nahi, desh ke to lal hote hai. Dhanye hai Bharat ma ke ye lal (This country has no father; it has sons. Blessed are these sons of Mother India),” she said on Instagram Stories.
In a follow-up post, she praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for continuing Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy of keeping the country clean.
Her remarks comparing Lal Bahadur Shastri to Mahatma Gandhi elicited a strong reaction from Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, The latter accused her of being a “new god follower” of the BJP.
“BJP MP Kangana made such obscene taunts on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. God worshipers differentiate between Bapu and Shastriji. Will Narendra Modi wholeheartedly forgive his party’s new God Believers? There are fathers, sons, and fathers. “Everyone should be respected,” the shrine says.
Kangana also faced criticism from BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia, who said the Mandi MP had become accustomed to making such controversial remarks, which was causing trouble for the saffron party.
“I condemn Kangana Ranaut’s remarks on the occasion of Gandhi’s 155th birth anniversary. During her short political career, she developed a habit of making controversial statements,” Kalia said.
“Politics is not her domain. Politics is a serious matter. One must think before speaking… Her controversial remarks have brought trouble to the party,” he added.
She had earlier said farmers’ protests against the three farm laws were creating a Bangladesh-like situation in the country. She had said “rapes are happening” at farmers’ protest sites.