Chandigarh: AAP Punjab's farmers wing on Wednesday staged a protest here against BJP MP Kangana Ranaut's remarks on farmers protest and demanded termination of her Lok Sabha membership. The protesters also demanded that the BJP should expel her immediately from the party.
The protesters of the Punjab unit of AAP's Kisan Wing raised slogans against Kangana and alleged that it is not the first time she has spoken against the farmers' protest. Meanwhile, speaking on the sidelines of an event in Mohali on Wednesday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asked the BJP "to tame its controversial MPs like Kangana Ranaut who are vitiating the atmosphere of the country by their venomous statements".
AAP Punjab MLA Jagtar Singh Dayalpura, who also took part in the protest in Chandigarh, said, "She (Kangana) should be expelled by the BJP from the party. She tries to sow seeds of hatred in society and action as per law should be taken against her for her remarks." As the protesters tried to move towards the Punjab BJP office here to 'gherao' it, they were stopped by the police as barricades had been placed.
Later, the police briefly detained the protesters. In Mohali, Mann said rather than concentrating on the welfare of the people of the Mandi segment, which has elected Kangana as MP, "she is repeatedly hurting the sentiments of Punjabis through her baseless statements". He said, "the BJP should control such leaders as merely issuing the statement that these are personal views of the MPs doesn't absolve the saffron party from its responsibility".
Earlier on Tuesday, Aam Aadmi Party's Haryana unit had staged statewide protests against Ranaut's remarks on the farmers protest, with a party leader saying her statement indicates the BJP's "mindset" towards farmers. AAP's Haryana unit president Sushil Gupta had alleged Ranaut's remarks indicate the "mindset" of the BJP towards farmers.
The MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh had posted a clip of her interview with Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar in which she suggested that a "Bangladesh-like situation" could have erupted in India but for the country's strong leadership. She then alleged that bodies were hanging and rapes were taking place during the farmers' protest against the now-repealed three farm laws.
Protests have been held in other states as well. On Tuesday, the Himachal Pradesh Assembly adopted a resolution moved by the ruling Congress condemning Kangana's remarks. The BJP had on Monday denounced the film actor for her disparaging remarks on the farmers' agitation, as it expressed disagreement with her views and made it clear that she is neither permitted nor authorised to comment on the party's policy matters.
Thousands of farmers from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and other places had held an agitation at Delhi's borders for several months over the now-repealed farm laws.
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