The political row over derogatory comments against Kangana Ranaut: Who said what?

Kangana Ranaut is all set to make her political debut but right now she is battling the usual sexism women netas face. A derogatory post on the actor, who was given a ticket by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, by a senior Congress leader has triggered a war of words between the two parties. The objectionable remarks were purportedly made by Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate.

The demeaning comments on Kangana

On her Instagram account, featuring a photo of Ranaut, Shrinate said, “Kya bhav chal raha hai Mandi main koi batayega (Can someone say what is the going rate in Mandi?)”, referring to the actor and her constituency in a demeaning manner.

However, the Congress leader said that she did not post the comments but they were written by someone else who had access to her accounts.

The BJP has demanded action against Congress leader Supriya Shrinate for derogatory comments against Kangana Ranaut. File photo/PTI

“Someone who had access to my meta accounts ( FB and Insta) posted an absolutely disgusting and objectionable post, which has been taken down. Anyone who knows me will know I would never say that for a woman,” Shrinate clarified on X.

“However, a parody account that I have just discovered misusing my name is being run on Twitter (@Supriyaparody) which started the whole mischief, and is being reported,” she added.

Shrinate told The Indian Express that she had “no clue” who the person behind the parody account was. “Somebody who had access to my Meta accounts posted that objectionable content there and I obviously immediately deleted it,” she told the publication.

Shrinate was not alone. Similar remarks were made by Congress leader HS Ahir and writer Mrinal Pande. In screenshots shared of Ahir’s comments, it appears that he likened Ranaut to a prostitute. However, he too said that his account was hacked.

Kangana Ranaut’s response

The actor took to social media to respond to the comments, pointing out that she had played different roles during her career as an artist. “Dear Supriya ji. In the last 20 years of my career as an artist, I have played all kinds of women. From a naive girl in Queen to a seductive spy in Dhaakad, from a goddess in Manikarnika to a demon in Chandramukhi, from a prostitute in Rajjo to a revolutionary leader in Thalaivii,” posted Ranaut on X, addressing the Congress spokesperson.

“We must free our daughters from the shackles of prejudices, we must rise above the curiosity about their body parts and above all we must refrain from using sex workers challenging lives or circumstances as some kind of abuse or slur… every woman deserves her dignity…”

Dear Supriya ji
In the last 20 years of my career as an artist I have played all kinds of women. From a naive girl in Queen to a seductive spy in Dhaakad, from a goddess in Manikarnika to a demon in Chandramukhi, from a prostitute in Rajjo to a revolutionary leader in Thalaivii.… pic.twitter.com/GJbhJTQAzW

She also shared posts of other objectional comments made on social media. “If a young man gets ticket, his ideology is attacked. If a young woman gets ticket, her sexuality is attacked. Strange!! Also Congress people are sexualising a small town’s name. Mandi is being used in sexual context everywhere, just because it has a young woman candidate. Shame on Congress people for displaying sexist tendencies.”

Kangana Ranaut has retorted to Congress’ Shrinate, saying that every woman deserves her dignity. File photo/PTI

The BJP hits out at Congress

The BJP has gone after the Congress, demanding that Shrinate be sacked as the party’s social and digital media head.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “This is beyond disgusting. The comments by Supriya Shrinate on Kangana Ranaut are despicable. Should be immediately sacked. Will Priyanka Gandhi speak up? Will Kharge ji sack her?”

Also read: Lok Sabha polls: Why Kangana Ranaut’s poll debut on BJP ticket is unsurprising

Poonawalla also pointed out that a similar comment was made by Mrinal Pande, who he alleges is part of the “Congress ecosystem”. He said some questions remained unanswered.

“How come Gujarat Congress leader, Supriya, Mrinal Pande (Cong ecosystem) & hundreds of others posted same line of attack on Kangana at same time period? Sanyog?”

The BJP spokesperson asked how Congress (social media) accounts were handled. “Post without final check? Ofcourse not… This means she [Shrinate] sanctioned the said post which abuses not only Kangana but entire Mandi, Himachal & Bharat ki Naari Shakti,” he wrote.

Smriti Irani came out in Ranaut’s defence. “This initiation into politics by fire @KanganaTeam is not a reflection on who you are but on what they have done & are capable of continuing to do for they can’t fathom how to deal with women of steel. March onto victory. Vijayi Bhav!” wrote the Union minister of women and child development.

“Congress’s Supriya Shrinate makes an obnoxious comment on Kangana Ranaut in an Insta post. It is so disgusting that one can’t help but ask how does Congress collect so much filth in one place? If Congress president (Mallikarjun) Kharge has any say in the party, he must sack her immediately or else resign,” said Amit Malviya, the BJP leader in charge of the party’s national information and technology department.

The National Commission on Women said that it was “appalled by the disgraceful conduct” of the two Congress leaders. NCW chief Rekha Sharma has written to the Election Commission of India demanding immediate action against them.

National Commission for Women is appalled by the disgraceful conduct of Ms. Supriya Shrinate and Mr. H.S. Ahir, who made lewd and derogatory remarks about @KanganaTeam on social media. Such behavior is intolerable and goes against the dignity of women. @sharmarekha has sent a…

Sharma too has backed Ranaut calling her a “fighter and a “shining star”. “People who are insecure acts (sic) low. Keep shining and all the best,” she said.

Sexism is something several women politicians have faced. From Congress’ Sonia Gandhi to BJP’s Smriti Irani and Nirmala Sitharaman and President Droupadi Murmu , the first hurdle these leaders face is prejudice.

With inputs from agencies