Clamour to strip Kangana off Padma award grows louder

What ensued after the 20-odd-second-long footage of the actor's remark went viral on social media was a volley of demands to take back the Padma Shri award that was accorded to her in 2020. Many questioned the propriety of the special honour — the fourth highest civilian award — retained by Kangana whose remarks on Independence drew brickbats from all quarters.

Hyderabad:Actor Kangana Ranaut grew quite a following over the years for both her lucid on-screen presence and occasional remarks that pandered to the conservatist as well as right-leaning nationalist aspirations among the people of the country. But her recent remark on the apparent timing of India receiving independence — a subtle reference to the rise of Narendra Modi-led BJP government — has not gone down well with many.

Kangana, speaking at an event organised by a private news channel, triggered outrage after she seemingly cast aspersions on the hard-earned independence of India in August 1947. "What we got was not independence. That was alms. Real Independence was received in 2014," Kangana had said.

What ensued after the 20-odd-second-long footage of the actor's remark went viral on social media was a volley of demands to take back the Padma Shri award that was accorded to her in 2020. Many questioned the propriety of the special honour — the fourth highest civilian award — retained by Kangana.

Congress party did not wait long before training guns on Kangana. Congress leader Anand Sharma on Thursday termed the remarks made by actor Kangana Ranaut as outrageous and said the President should take back the Padma award given to her. Sharma also urged prime minister Modi to break his silence on the distasteful comment by the actor.

"Ms Kangana Ranaut's statement heaping insult on the courageous freedom fighters led by Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Sardar Patel but also belittling the sacrifices of revolutionaries like Sardar Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekar Azad and several others."

The Youth wing of Congress too took out a protest against the Manikarnika protagonist. Police beefed up security outside her residence in Mumbai after the IYC activists staged a protest.

The BJP has backed the actor on multiple occasions. While the central government granted her a Y+ security detail this year, Yogi — firebrand BJP leader and UP chief minister, visited her at her residence in Lucknow and made her brand ambassador of a state scheme.

But what practically came as an embarrassment to the saffron party was MP Varun Gandhi's take on the actor's comment. Gandhi flayed the actor, saying he wondered the "thinking madness or treason?"

"It is an anti-national act and must be called out as such. To not do so would be a betrayal of all those who shed blood so that today we may stand tall and free as a nation," said the BJP MP.

Although Varun Gandhi's rage against Kangana would have died down as a lone voice, Maharashtra BJP leader Ram Kadam too came out against the Bollywood star. Ram Kadam was one among the BJP leaders who had her back when the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of Maharashtra went ballistic in a bid to raze down a portion of Kangana's official bungalow in Mumbai.

"The statement could not be supported. The freedom that our country has got is not the result of thousands but of the sacrifices of millions of people. Therefore, the statement regarding the freedom of an individual cannot be supported," Ram Kadam said.

The MVA too did not spare the chance to crack whips on Kangana over the controversial comments. The Shiv Sena has sought clarifications on the matter from the Prime Minister and saffron party's national president JP Nadda.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, perhaps on the most caustic critic of Kangana, demanded the Union government take back all the awards to her.