In a recent interview, four-time national awardee and Padma Shree awardee actress Kangana Ranaut had stirred up a controversy. She said that India attained absolute freedom only in 2014 when the Narendra Modi government came to power. She described the Independence India got in 1947 from the British as alms. After the controversy, Kangana defended herself and said if anyone could prove her wrong, she would return her Padma award.
The sexist and vile comments against Ranaut
Kangana Ranaut faced an array of sexist and vile comments since she made the remarks during the interview. The most recent comment came from Shiv Sena MP Krupal Tumane. He went on a sexist rant against four-time national award-winning actress Kangana Ranaut to insinuate that she did not deserve the Padma Shri conferred upon her earlier this month. He said, “Kangana Ranaut knows how she herself got the Padma Shri. Whose feet she has licked and what all things she has licked to get the award. All the MPs and MLAs in Delhi are aware of it. People lobbying in Delhi are also aware. To speak more on this would be ‘tuchha’ (shallow), and I would not like to say anything more on such ‘tuchha’ woman.”
#WATCH महात्मा गांधी जी अगर सत्ता के लालची होते तो उस समय प्रधानमंत्री-राष्ट्रपति सब कुछ बन सकते थे। कंगना रनौत को क्या करके पद्म श्री मिला, किसके पांव चाटने से, क्या-क्या चाटने से ये पद मिला है ये दिल्ली के सभी सांसद, विधायक बहुत अच्छे से जानते हैं…: शिवसेना सांसद कृपाल तुमाने pic.twitter.com/luZdgHSpbM
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) November 18, 2021
On November 15, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi lost his mind and called Kangana’ talve chatne wali aurat’. The SP leader, during a TV interview, said that Kangana Ranaut “ek talve chatne vali aurat hain, use jail bhej dena chahiye” (she is a bootlicker, she should be sent to jail). Without explicitly taking the name of BJP, Azmi added that Kangana Ranaut fawns over the party, which she said brought real freedom to India after 2014. When the anchor tried to warn him against vile comments on a woman, he said he had no remorse for what he said.
अबू आजमी का वार…निशाने पर योगी सरकार#Lucknow | #AbuAzmi | #CMYogi | #Azamgarh | #UPAssemblyElection2022 | @abuasimazmi | @upadhyayabhii pic.twitter.com/YmPqIzCr9p
— TV9 Bharatvarsh (@TV9Bharatvarsh) November 15, 2021
Ashok Swain, an alleged professor at Uppsala University in Sweden, had questioned giving the Padma to someone whose Twitter account was banned for ‘hate speech against Muslims’. It is unclear how social media platform Twitter that is a private US-based company, can be made criteria to select who would get Padma awards and who don’t.
G Kris Nair, who appears to be a Congress Party member and ‘supports women empowerment according to his Twitter profile, published a derogatory cartoon of Ranaut licking boots. He wrote, “Padma Shri for this.”
Piyush Mishra, National Spokesperson, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), said, “This Kangana Ranaut, who strips off clothes to undergarments and gets almost naked for money, is questioning the independence of the country.” He further called her an addict and said, “This addict woman should be immediately tried for treason and sent to jail.”
The Wire’s Arfa Khanum Sherwani did not miss the chance to attack Ranaut. She said honouring people who are banned for hate speeches is akin to honouring hate. Interestingly, Sherwani has been seen multiple times defending proponents of radical Islam.
Similarly, Congress mouthpiece National Herald’s columnist Mrinal Pande was not pleased with Ranaut getting the award. She questioned if Padma jokes are the best jokes. Pande, who is considered to be a ‘renowned’ journalist among the left-leaning section of media, forgot that before 2014, hardly any deserving candidate would get Padma awards. It was only after the Modi government came in power that Padma awards truly became People’s Padma
Man Aman Singh Chhina, who calls himself a journalist, said, “Hate mongers should not be given national honours. Let’s not forget what she said on Twitter.”
Recently, NCW took cognizance of now-deleted tweets of one Vinay Ojha, General secretary of Social Media and IT Cell, Bihar, where had posted several vile comments on Ranaut.
@NCWIndia has taken cognisance of the matter. Chairperson @sharmarekha has written to DGP Bihar seeking an immediate FIR in the matter and to arrest the accused for making derogatory comments about a woman on social media. The action taken must be apprised to NCW at the earliest.
— NCW (@NCWIndia) November 15, 2021
Amidst the hate-filled atmosphere around Ranaut, veteran actor Vikram Gokhale came in support of her. He explained the rationale behind the remark and said the freedom was in alms as it was ‘given’. He added many freedom fighters were hanged during the movement for Independence, but the bigwigs did not try to same them and remained mute spectators.
