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BJP MP Kangana Ranaut at the Parliament House complex (PTI photo)
Kangana Ranaut paid homage to Lal Bahadur Shastri on his 120th birth anniversary on Wednesday
Actor-politician Kangana Ranaut on Wednesday stirred a new controversy with a social media post about Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. The Lok Sabha MP downplayed Mahatma Gandhi’s stature as the “Father of the Nation” on his birth anniversary.
The actor, who previously faced backlash for her comments on the farmers’ protests, paid homage to Shastri on his 120th birth anniversary on Wednesday.
“Desh ke pita nahi, desh ke to lal hote hai. Dhanye hai Bharat Maa 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.
In a follow-up post, the actor further credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for carrying forward Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy of cleanliness in the country.
Row Erupts Over Kangana’s Remark
The post on Shastri and Gandhi has led to yet another row for Ranaut as Congress leader Supriya Shrinate criticised her for her “lewd jibe” at Mahatma 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,” Shrinate said in a post on X.
Before the Lok Sabha polls in March this year, Shrinate was embroiled in a controversy over an objectionable post regarding the actor.
Manoranjan Kalia, a senior BJP leader from Punjab, also criticised Ranaut for her latest remarks.
“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,” 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.
The actor, who was elected as an MP in June, last month faced backlash for advocating the return of the three farm laws repealed in 2021 and alleged that the farmers’ agitation against the three farm laws was leading to a “Bangladesh-type situation in India”.
(With inputs from agency)