Kangana slams Congress over Shrinate comment row, Rahul's 'Shakti' remark

Kicking off her election campaign in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, Kangana Ranaut lambasted the Congress over the controversy sparked by party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate’s ‘unwitting’ comments on her, alleging that the Congress could not accept her nomination from Mandi and resorted to cheap politics.

Addressing her maiden rally, Kangana said, “I was beyond happy after getting the nomination from the BJP. Who would not celebrate such a homecoming?” She lashed out at the Congress leadership, saying, “Rahul Gandhi talks about 'annihilating the shakti among the Hindus'. Their spokesperson used condemnable words about the women of Mandi. The same Mandi which has been named after Rishi Mandavya, where Rishi Parashar sat in tapasya, the place which organises the biggest Shivratri fair every year. But what else can be expected of them?”

This was Kangana Ranaut's first public appearance in Mandi, her hometown from where she will be contesting the Lok Sabha elections. It was expected that she would address the row as the Election Commission has issued a showcause notice to Supriya Shrinate for her comment on Kangana which she deleted and claimed it was not posted by her. Supriya said her Instagram and Facebook accounts are handled by many people and it was posted without her knowledge.

Meanwhile, Mandi is all set to witness a high-pitched battle even as the Congress is yet to announce its candidate from the constituency. Pratibha Singh, Himachal Congress chief and wife of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, is the sitting MP from Mandi. She initially expressed her reluctance to contest from Mandi but after Kangana’s name was announced, she said she would leave the decision to the high command.