Kangana Ranaut shares post taking a dig at Mahatma Gandhi amid controversy
Nov 17, 2021
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 17 : Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut has once again sparked controversy with her thoughts on India's battle for independence against British rule.
The 'Panga' actor said last week at a summit that India's independence was a 'bheekh (handout)'. At the time, she also claimed that the country got its real Independence after 2014 when the PM Modi led BJP government came into power.
She stood by her statement on Tuesday and advised people to choose their heroes wisely.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Kangana shared an old newspaper article and wrote, "Either you are a Gandhi fan or Netaji supporter. You can't be both, choose and decide."
The newspaper had an old article from the 1940s with the headline, 'Gandhi, others had agreed to hand over Netaji'.
In her next IG Story, Kangana, who is known for her controversial remarks, said that freedom fighters were "handed over" to the British by those "who had no courage" to fight oppression but were "power-hungry" and "cunning".
Taking a dig at Mahatma Gandhi, she added, "Those are the ones who taught us, if someone slaps you offer another cheek for one more slap and that is how you will get aazaadi. That's not how one gets aazadi, one can only get bheekh like that. Choose your heroes wisely."
Kangana further claimed that Gandhi "never supported" Bhagat Singh or Subhas Chandra Bose.
"So you need to choose who you support because just placing them all in one box of your memory and every year wishing them all on their birth anniversaries is not enough. In fact, it is not just dumb, it is highly irresponsible and superficial. One must know their history and their heroes," the actor added.
Her recent comments regarding India's independence struggle has drawn flak from several politicians and others. Many have even demanded that the Centre take back Kangana's Padma Shri honour for insulting the country's independence battle.
Kangana had received the prestigious award from President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony hosted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the capital on November 8.