Kangana carrying forward BJP's political agenda: Congress

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Ranaut's comparison of Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was untrue, reprehensible and would not be acceptable to any reasonable person. He, however, said the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra will ensure adequate protection to her and defend the right of dissent of its biggest critics.

The Congress on Monday accused Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut of carrying forward the BJP's political agenda through her actions and claimed that the ruling party had provided her with security cover to enable her to openly defame Maharashtra and criticise the coalition government there. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Ranaut's comparison of Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was untrue, reprehensible and would not be acceptable to any reasonable person.

He, however, said the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra will ensure adequate protection to her and defend the right of dissent of its biggest critics. "Despite a particular film actress carrying on the agenda of Modi Ji and BJP, we will ensure adequate protection for her," he said at a virtual press conference. "However, to describe the business capital of the country as Pakistan occupied Kashmir is naive, incorrect, political opportunism and reprehensible which no reasonable person will accept. We reject such unfounded and politically motivated allegations being hurled through film actresses by BJP," he said. Surjewala said unlike the BJP, the Congress party as well as the alliance of Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP in Maharashtra has the principle of defending the right of dissent of their biggest critics.

"The security has been provided to a film actress, who is acting on the behest of BJP to defame Maharashtra, so that she openly criticises us under BJP's political agenda," he also said. Ranaut has been given Y-plus category security and will be protected by about 10 armed commandos who will work in shifts around the clock, Union Home ministry officials said on Monday amid the controversy over her comment that she "feared" the Mumbai Police. The decision comes two days before Ranaut, who is in her home state Himachal Pradesh and had likened Mumbai to PoK, said she plans to visit Mumbai on September 9.

Ranaut, whose comments led to a spat with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, said she felt unsafe in Mumbai after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and also spoke of drug use in a section of the film industry.

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