Kangana Ranaut meets BJP chief Nadda days after party rebuked her remark on farmers' protest
New Delhi: Actress-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kangana Ranaut on Thursday met party president Jagat Prakash Nadda at his residence in New Delhi on Thursday morning, days after the parliamentarian was reprimanded over her controversial remark on the farmers' protests, media reports said.
Kangana was reportedly asked by Nadda, who is also the Union Health Minister, not to speak on any issue out of turn.
The Mandi MP, who spent about 30 minutes at Nadda's residence, has been cautioned ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, which is crucial for the BJP which suffered a jolt in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP is headed for crucial assembly elections months after returning to power without a full majority.
Reprimanding Kangana, the BJP had earlier said in a statement, "Kangana Ranaut is not authorised to speak on policy matters on behalf of the party and has not been given permission to do so. The BJP has directed Ms Ranaut to refrain from making such statements in the future."
The BJP's disapproval came a day after the 38-year-old BJP MP said that the farmers' protest could have led to a Bangladesh-like crisis in India if not for the strong steps taken by the government.
Earlier, BJP leaders in Haryana and Punjab advised the MP from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi to refrain from making inflammatory comments.
"It is not Kangana's department to speak on farmers, Kangana's statement is personal. PM Modi and the BJP are farmer-friendly. The Opposition parties are working against us and Kangana's statement is doing the same. She should not make such statements, on sensitive or religious issues, religious organisations," Punjab BJP leader Harjit Grewal said.
Her comments also drew a response from the Congress with leader Randeep Surjewala asking the BJP leader to "get well soon".
Surjewalal, who is campaigning in poll-bound Haryana that witnessed year-long farmers' protest, asked, "Were these just Kangana's words or did someone else copy them? If not, then why is the BJP silent on the issue?"
Ranaut, known for her provocative remarks, has been a strong critic of the farmers' protest against the now-repealed three-farm laws.
In 2020, she allegedly misidentified a woman farmer from Punjab who was taking part in the protests and called her Bilkis Bano, an elderly woman who had become one of the faces of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Law (CAA) protests earlier in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh. She had also said the woman was "available for Rs. 100", suggesting she could be hired for protests.
The statement sparked a massive row that resurfaced when Ranaut was slapped by a woman Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable at the Chandigarh airport when she was on her way to Delhi in June this year.
Top Headlines
-
News
Donald Trump picks 'smart and tough' Pam Bondi as new US Attorney General after Matt Gaetz withdraws
November 22, 2024
-
News
Baba Siddique murder case: Arrested Akashdeep Gill used a labourer's hotspot to evade tracking, say police
November 22, 2024
-
News
Canadian government denies media report that claims PM Modi knew of Khalistani leader Nijjar's killing
November 22, 2024
-
News
Pakistan: 42 Shiites die after gunmen open fire on vehicle in Kurram
November 22, 2024
-
News
PE firm TA Associates' strategic investment in VeeHealthtek
November 19, 2024
-
News
Manipur unrest: Civil society sets 24-hr deadline for BJP MLAs to take 'decisive action'
November 19, 2024
-
News
Delhi chokes as air quality remains in 'severe plus' category amid curb on several daily activities
November 19, 2024
-
News
Keir Starmer meets Narendra Modi in Brazil, announces relaunch of UK-India free trade agreement talks
November 19, 2024
-
News
Tirumala trust asks non-Hindu staffers to retire or opt for transfer
November 19, 2024
-
News
Manipur's unabated violence kills 1 more in Jiribam, Amit Shah schedules meeting today
November 18, 2024