It was evident Deepika wanted to support 'tukde tukde' gang: Smriti Irani

Launching a scathing attack on actor Deepika Padukone over her visit to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Tuesday, Union Minister Smriti Irani said the actor’s decision to back those who “wanted the destruction of India” was not unusual as she has supported the Congress in the past.

In a discussion with Prabhu Chawla, editorial director of The New Indian Express, at an event on Thursday, Irani said, given her past record it is Deepika’s right to stand with people who say, “Bharat tere tukde honge.”

“It was not unexpected to us that she was going to stand with people who want the destruction of India. She sided with people who hit girls on their private parts with lathis. I can’t deny her that right. She made her political affiliation known in 2011 that she supports the Congress Party. If people are surprised by this, it is because they didn’t. There were a lot of admirers of hers who have just discovered her position,” TNIE quoted her as saying.

The minister was alluding to an old interview of Deepika in 2011, in which she had apparently supported Rahul Gandhi. The video has been doing the rounds on social media platforms along with hashtags criticising Deepika ever since she on Tuesday visited the JNU campus to express solidarity with students who were protesting against the attack on January 5.