New Delhi: The Bharat Rashtriya Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao on Friday took a jibe at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi seat for the Lok Sabha elections, Kangana Ranaut after she called freedom fighter Netaji Subash Chandra Bose "India's first Prime Minister."
In a post on X, KTR said, "One BJP candidate from North says Subash Chandra Bose was our first PM!! And another BJP leader from South says Mahatma Gandhi was our PM!! Where did all these people graduate from?"
In a television interview, the actor-cum-politician said, "Tell me one thing, when we got independence, where did India's first PM Netaji Subash Chandra Bose go?" Congress leader Supriya Shrinate also shared Kangana's statement and wrote, "Don't take her lightly - she will go ahead in the list of BJP leaders."
Kangana was once widely trolled when she claimed that India got real independence after Modi was elected as the prime minister of the country in 2014. Kangana Ranaut was named as one of 111 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls by the BJP on 24 March. In an Instagram post, Ranaut -- who has been a vocal supporter of the BJP and PM Modi--said she is honoured to join the BJP.
My beloved Bharat and Bhartiya Janta's own party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have always had my unconditional support, today the national leadership of BJP has announced me as their Lok Sabha candidate from my birthplace Himachal Pradesh, Mandi (constituency). Voting in Himachal Pradesh will be held in a single phase on June 1 for four seats.
The Mandi Lok Sabha constituency has mostly remained the battlefield of erstwhile royal families and their scions have won 13 out of the 19 elections including two by-elections held for the seat. From 2009 to 2021, there have been three general elections and two by-elections on the Mandi seat. Congress has had a significant presence in these elections, winning three times.
In the general elections of 2009, Virbhadra Singh, and in the by-elections of 2013 and 2021, Congress candidate Pratibha Singh was elected as the Member of Parliament from the Mandi seat. In the parliamentary elections of 2014 and 2019, BJP emerged victorious with Ram Swaroop Sharma being elected as the Member of Parliament on both the times.
However, in 2021, Ram Swaroop Sharma tragically passed away by suicide. Subsequently, in the 2021 by-elections, this seat went to Pratibha Singh of the Congress. Currently, out of the four Lok Sabha seats, BJP holds three.
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