Kangana hits out at Rahul over derogatory remarks against her
Bollywood actor-turned-politician, Kangana Ranaut, has officially launched her campaign for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha election. The inaugural rally took place in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, which is also Ranaut's birthplace. During the event, she criticized the leadership of the Congress and specifically targeted Rahul Gandhi and Congress Spokesperson Supriya Shrinate.
Why does this story matter?
Ranaut's criticism was in response to a derogatory post from Shrinate, which has since been deleted. The Congress leader apologized for the remarks and said that several people have access to her social media accounts and she will find who is responsible for the post. Notably, in response, Shrinate was dropped as a Congress candidate from the constituency she contested in 2019 on Thursday. Hours later, the Election Commission of India issued a show-cause notice to her regarding the post.
Ranaut responds to derogatory post, targets Congress leadership
Ranaut conducted a roadshow in Mandi where she interacted with supporters amidst chants of "Jai Shri Ram." Training her guns at Gandhi, the actor said, "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 organizes the biggest Shivratri fair... But what else can be expected of them?" Kangana said.
Ranaut's first public appearance in Mandi
This was Ranaut's first public appearance in Mandi. The Congress is still deliberating on its candidate for the parliamentary constituency. Pratibha Singh, wife of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, is the sitting MP from Mandi. Initially, she expressed her unwillingness to contest from Mandi, but after Ranaut's name was announced, she said she would leave the decision to the high command.
Gandhi's 'shakti' remark that triggered a row
Earlier, a major row erupted over Gandhi's "Shakti" remark that he made during his "Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra." "There is a word Shakti in Hinduism. We are fighting against a Shakti. The question is what is that shakti? The soul of the king is in the EVM...in every institution of the country," Gandhi added. As Gandhi faced criticism for his "anti-Hindu" remarks, he clarified that the "shakti" he referred to was Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
