Targeted in post purportedly by Congress’s Shrinate, Kangana says ‘don’t use sex workers’ lives as slur’

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New Delhi: Barely 24 hours after the announcement about her plunge into electoral politics, a derogatory post on Instagram and another on X (formerly Twitter) about actor Kangana Ranaut shared by two Congress functionaries Monday set off a political firestorm.

The first post was shared by the Instagram account of Supriya Shrinate, member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and chairperson of the party’s social media and digital platforms wing, a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) declared Kangana as its candidate for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh. The post, which used a file photo of the actor photo along with a caption derogatory in nature, has since been deleted.

Kangana reacted to the post by asking people to “refrain from using sex workers’ challenging lives or circumstances as some kind of abuse or slur”. 

“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,” she wrote.

Adding, “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…”

Later in the day, Shrinate issued an apology and claimed the post was shared by someone who had access to her social media accounts. She also blamed a parody account that she alleged was misusing her name on X. That post too has since been taken down.

“Someone who had access to my meta accounts (Facebook 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 wrote in a post on X.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) demanding action against Shrinate.

The second post was shared on X by the handle of H.S. Ahir, the “state joint co-ordinator” of the farmers’ wing of the Gujarat Congress. Ahir too later claimed that “someone with access” to his X account “made a very disgusting and objectionable comment”.

“As soon as I came to know about this, I removed that post. I publicly apologise to everyone for this. Special sister Kangana, I sincerely apologise to you,” he wrote in a post on X. 

In another, he added, “Anyone who knows me will know I would never say that for a woman. Sorry Dil se sorry.”

Reacting to the post from Ahir’s handle, Kangana Ranaut wrote on X earlier in the day: “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.”

Also Read: Bhojpuri actor Pawan Singh, BJP’s pick for Asansol, quits LS race after backlash over songs

BJP leaders demand Shrinate’s sacking

The posts by Shrinate’s Instagram account and Ahir’s X handle invited scathing criticism from BJP leaders and functionaries, including Union Minister Smriti Irani, IT and social media wing chief Amit Malviya and the party’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla. 

“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,” Irani wrote on X, tagging Kangana.

Malviya cited the distasteful remarks made against Kangana to demand that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge sack Supriya Shrinate. 

“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 CP @Kharge has any say in the party, he must sack her immediately or else resign,” he wrote in a post on X.

Malviya also questioned another post by journalist Mrinal Pande.

“Meet the 78 year old classless Mrinal Pande, daughter of celebrate Hindi writer Shivani (Gaura Pant). The Congress had appointed her Chief of Doordarshan. Her comment is a reflection on her upbringing more than the woman she seeks to demean. Pande is hurtling towards a similar fate as Vinod Dua,” he wrote.

Pande too deleted her post though she did not issue an apology. 

“Yes, I am a homemaker. I keep myself informed about the daily wholesale and retail rates of commodities available in the market by reading Hindi newspapers. You may be interested in other types of markets, not me,” she wrote in another post on X. 

When a user pointed out that she did delete her previous post, Pande responded by writing, “You neither know me nor my mother! I have removed it only after seeing what kind of mud you people are forcibly dragging my words into. I don’t need any advice from you.”

Poonawalla, meanwhile, echoed the demand for Kharge to sack Supriya Shrinate. 

“Will Priyanka Gandhi speak up? Will Kharge ji sack her! Where is the “Hathras” lobby now? First they justified Sandeshkhali, then Lal Singh getting a ticket from Congress and now this,” he wrote on X.

 

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)

Also Read: Jaipur Dialogues, Tharoor’s ‘epiphany’ jibe — what’s the row around Congress candidate Sunil Sharma

 

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