The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Supriya Shrinate on Monday over her alleged “objectionable post” targeting actor Kangana Ranaut, the BJP candidate from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi.
The ruling party vehemently slammed the Congress, insisting on the dismissal of Shrinate from her role as the party’s head of social and digital media.
On Monday, a comment in Hindi, featuring a photograph of Ranaut, was posted from Shrinate’s Instagram account soon after BJP announced its list of 111 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. It read, “Kya bhav chal raha hai Mandi main koi batayega” (can someone say what is the going rate in Mandi), in an apparent derogatory reference to the actor and her constituency.
While the BJP attacked Shrinate, terming the remarks as disgusting and despicable, the party demanded stern action against her. However, Shrinate clarified that some parody account on social media has made the concerned post, of which she has reported on X.
Targeting the grand old party, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla wrote on X, “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 questioned.
“These are the people who talk about mohabbat, but sometimes they abuse the Prime Minister, they abuse the Prime Minister’s late mother. They make all kinds of derogatory comments about Shakti, they want to eliminate Sanatana. First, they have attacked Shakti, and now Karnataka Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi, he is attacking Yuva Shakti and now they have attacked Nari Shakti. Spokesperson of Congress, Supriya Shrinate has made disgusting comment and poster on Kangana Ranutji who has been given a Lok Sabha ticket from Mandi,” he added.
Malviya, the head of BJP’s national information and technology department, asserted that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge must take decisive action against 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 Kharge has any say in the party, he must sack her immediately or else resign,” Malviya posted on X.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shazia Ilmi remarked on Monday that despite Shrinate’s denial and claim of her account being hacked, derogatory comments are frequently noticed on Congress’ social media platforms.
In a video shared by her, Shazia questioned why the Congress leadership hasn’t taken action to suspend Supriya Shrinate despite the allegations. “Even though Supriya Shrinate is denying the allegations saying her account had been hacked, if we look at the social media handles of Congress, they make all sorts of derogatory remarks, post deep fake videos and share objectionable posts. Why are Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi quiet about it? Why have they not suspended Supriya Shrinate from the party?” she said.
Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani also came out in support of Ranaut, posting on X, “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 Bhavi.”
‘Kangana Ranaut hits back’
Responding to remarks against her, the BJP candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha, Kangana Ranaut, hit out at Shrinate, stating, “Every woman deserves her dignity.”
“Dear Supriya ji, in the last 20 years of my career as an artist, I have portrayed 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. We must liberate our daughters from the constraints of prejudices, rise above the curiosity about their bodies, and above all, refrain from using the challenging lives or circumstances of sex workers as a form of abuse or insult… every woman deserves her dignity,” she stated in a post on ‘X’.
‘NCW files complaint against congress leader’
The National Commission for Women has filed a complaint against Supriya Shrinate with the Election Commissioner regarding her “objectionable post” concerning Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate Kangana Ranaut.
In a statement on X, the NCW condemned the conduct of Supriya Shrinate and HS Ahir, describing their lewd and derogatory remarks about Kangana Ranaut on social media as intolerable and contrary to the dignity of women.
“Rekha Sharma (Chairperson of NCW) has sent a letter to the Election Commissioner of India demanding immediate and strict action against them. Let’s uphold respect and dignity for all women,” the post read.
Congress leader issues clarification
Although refuting any involvement, Shrinate told The Indian Express that the objectionable post was made by someone who had access to her accounts. “The mischief was started by somebody who runs a parody account in my name on Twitter (X) and I have no clue who this person is. The moment it was brought to my notice, I reported that account to Twitter (X). Somebody who had access to my Meta accounts posted that objectionable content there and I obviously immediately deleted it,” she said.
She also posted on ‘X’: “Someone who had access to my Meta accounts (FB 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. However, a parody account that I have just discovered misusing my name is being run on Twitter (@Supriyaparody) which started the whole mischief, and is being reported.”