Kangana Ranaut’s ‘controversial’ remark evokes sharp response from farmers’ outfits

Tribune News Service

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Rohtak, August 26

BJP MP from Mandi and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut’s remarks, wherein she likens farmers’ protest to the Bangladesh unrest, has evoked a sharp response from farmers and farm organisations. Not only have they termed it “derogatory” and an effort to defame farmers, but also demanded an unconditional apology to the farmers for the same.

Inderjit Singh, a senior leader of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) in the state, said her statement against the farmers was extremely painful in a situation when the farmers had been struggling to get their justified demands met.

“Kangana is a habitual abuser of farmers. She has now taken the extreme step of calling Indian farmers murderers, rapists, conspirators and anti-national. It is not surprising that the MP is making such utterances because it has been the long-standing policy of the BJP to insult, denigrate and discredit the historic farmers’ movement led by SKM at the borders of Delhi,” said Singh.

He claimed that despite repeated insults and deliberate provocation, the SKM had always ensured that the farmers’ protests against three farm laws and policies of the BJP-led Union Government remained peaceful, lawful and in accordance with exercise of fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of India.

“We demand that Kangana should immediately issue an unconditional apology to the farmers of India for her inappropriate and incorrect statements and uphold the dignity of her office, failing which, the SKM will have no option but to issue a call for her public boycott,” said Singh.

Meanwhile, while strongly condemning Kangana’s statement, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) state general secretary Sumit Dalal said it was an extremely shameful, baseless and false statement on the historic farmers’ movement on the Delhi borders. The MP should either apologise or else the Kisan Sabha would take to the streets across the state against the BJP, he said.

“We are consulting all our district units and the Haryana SKM regarding the filing of a complaint against Kangana at various police stations of the state over her provocative statement, which has tarnished the image of farmers. This allegation reflects the BJP and its hatred towards the farmers’ movement. Everyone knows that the 13-month farm protest was the longest and most peaceful movement in the country,” said Dalal.

Balbir Singh, state president, AIKS, said this was not the first instance when Kangana had made such baseless statements against the farmers, but this time she had crossed all limits, which cannot be tolerated at any cost.

‘Will call for her public boycott’

We demand that Kangana should immediately issue an unconditional apology to the farmers of India for her inappropriate and incorrect statements and uphold the dignity of her office, failing to do which the SKM will have no option but to issue a call for her public boycott. — Inderjit Singh, a senior leader of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha