Congress Revisits Kangana's Old Remarks On Female Actors Amid Row Over Shrinate's Comments

A comment by Congress leader Supriya Shrinate on actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Lok Sabha election candidate Kangana Ranaut has sparked a major political clash between the two parties, with the former reminding the latter of similar remarks made by the actor in the past.

Congress leaders Supriya Shrinate and HS Ahir have been receiving massive backlash from the BJP for their alleged "derogatory comments" against actress Kangana Ranaut, who is the BJP candidate from Mandi Lok Sabha seat.

Shrinate allegedly made objectionable remarks about Kangana Ranaut in a now-deleted Instagram post. Ahir, state joint co-ordinator of Kisan Congress, also made derogatory remarks against Kangana Ranaut.

Shrinate clarified that many people have access to her Facebook and Instagram accounts, and someone from them made an extremely inappropriate post. "As soon as I came to know, I deleted that post. Everyone who knows me, also knows very well that I can never make personal and indecent comments towards any woman. I wanted to know how this happened," she said.

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Congress Revists Kangana's Old Remarks On Other Actors

While BJP continued its attack on Supriya Shrinate over her Instagram post, the Congress backed its leader by raking up an old incident where the actor called Urmila Matondkar, another actor, a 'soft-porn- star'.

Sharing an old video of Kangana Ranaut talking about Urmila Matondkar, Indian Youth Congress (IYC) chief Srinivas BV wrote on X wrote, "What was posted from Supriya Ji's account was absolutely derogatory. She has not only deleted it but also clarified and Condemned it in the Strongest Terms." [sic].

"What about you? Calling Urmila Matondkar a 'soft porn star' on live TV? Have you condemned it?," he said.

In the said video, Kangana Ranaut could be heard saying, "Urmila Matondkar, she is a soft porn star. I know it's very blatant, but I want to ask you... she is not known for her acting for sure, what is she known for, for doing soft porn, right?"

"If she can get a ticket, why won't I get a ticket?," Kangana Ranaut said in the video.

Srinvas BV later shared another post from 2021 by Kangana Ranaut in which she called actor Taapsee Pannu "dumbo".

Slamming Supriya Shrinate for her Instagram post, Ranaut had said that she has played various roles and every woman deserves dignity.

"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," Ranaut had said in a post on X.

NCW Demands Action From EC Against Shrinate

The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Monday wrote to the Election Commission demanding strict action against Congress leaders Supriya Shrinate and HS Ahir for their alleged derogatory comments against Kangana Ranaut.

NCW said in a post on X that it is "appalled by the disgraceful conduct" of Supriya Shrinate and HS Ahir.

"National Commission for Women is appalled by the disgraceful conduct of Ms. Supriya Shrinate and Mr. H.S. Ahir, who made lewd and derogatory remarks about @KanganaTeam on social media. Such behavior is intolerable and goes against the dignity of women. @sharmarekha has sent a letter to the Election commissioner of India demanding an immediate and strict action against them. Let's uphold respect and dignity for all women. #RespectWomen," the NCW said in a post.

Meanwhile, addressing the issue at a press conference, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit stated that Shrinate has clarified that the post in question was made by someone with access to her account. Dikshit further added that Shrinate has committed to identifying the individual responsible for the post.

"The Congress has consistently maintained that derogatory language has no place in public discourse. Supriya ji has acknowledged the mistake and clarified the situation. It is imperative to conclude the matter there," Dikshit emphasiesd.

Also, Congress faced scrutiny following disparaging remarks about Ranaut and Mandi appearing on the social media profiles of its leaders, Shrinate and H S Ahir.