Kangana sparks another row with ‘father-son’ post on Gandhi Jayanti

Actor-politician Kangana Ranaut, who is no stranger to controversies, has courted a new one with a social media post about Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.

The actor, who recently faced backlash for her comments on the repealed farm laws, paid homage to Shastri on his 120th birth anniversary on Wednesday (October 2) through a post that appeared to downplay Gandhi’s stature as the Father of the Nation.

Kangana’s “father-son” post

“Desh ke pita nahi, desh ke to lal hote hai. Dhanye hai Bharat ma ke ye lal (A country does not have fathers; it has sons. Blessed are these sons of Mother India),” she wrote in her Instagram Stories.

In a follow-up post, the actor credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for carrying forward Gandhi’s legacy on cleanliness in the country.

Watch: Haryana polls: Has Kangana’s harakiri damaged BJP’s chances?

Shrinate slams “lewd jibe”

The post led to yet another row for the BJP MP from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, with Congress leader Supriya Shrinate criticising Ranaut for her “lewd jibe” 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,” Shrinate said in a post on X.

In March, Shrinate herself had been embroiled in controversy before the Lok Sabha elections over an objectionable post regarding the actor.

Censure from BJP

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.

Watch: Is Kangana Ranaut a double jeopardy for BJP?

Farm laws controversy

It was only last month that Ranaut faced backlash for advocating the return of the three farm laws repealed in 2021.

The actor, who was elected as an MP in June, alleged that the farmers’ agitation against the three farm laws was leading to a “Bangladesh-type situation in India”, claiming that “dead bodies were hanging, and rapes were taking place” at the protest sites.

Ranaut later retracted her statement, acknowledging that she should remember she is not just an artist but also a BJP member.

(With agency inputs)