A Case Of Verbal Diarrhoea

As someone who is a regular at stoking controversies, actress-turned-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Kangana Ranaut has now put her party in the dock, after making some highly ‘irresponsible’ comments around the farmers’ protests.

Although the BJP has distanced itself from her comments in a statement that is being read by many as a dressing down, the proverbial cat is out of the bag. Her statements have come on the eve of Assembly polls in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.

Her hate speech is heard in a video clip going viral on social media. The comments have drawn strong reactions from the farmer community, as well as the Opposition parties. The farmers are a deciding political factor at least in Haryana, and her statements have pushed the already struggling BJP on the back foot in the state.

A tweet she reposted that accompanied her video stated, “Bangladesh like anarchy could have happened in India also like in the name of farmers' protest. Outside forces are planning to destroy us with the help of insiders. If it wouldn't have been the foresight of our leadership they would have succeeded.”

In the video the actor-MP is stating that the farmers’ protests were “marked by killings and rapes”. She further stated that outside forces like America and China are at work.

The BJP while distancing itself from her remarks reportedly said that she was not authorised to make statements on the party’s policy issues and has been asked not to make any such statement in future.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) which is the umbrella organisation of the farmer bodies across the country that had led the farmers’ protests resulting in the withdrawal of three controversial agricultural laws has called her statements ‘shocking, derogatory and factually incorrect’.

It has stated, “It is extremely painful that this MP, who is a habitual abuser of farmers, has now taken the extreme step of calling Indian farmers murderers, rapists, conspirators and anti-national. It is not surprising that this MP is making such utterances because it has been the long-standing policy of the BJP to insult, denigrate and discredit the historic farmers’ movement led by the SKM at the borders of Delhi.

“Despite insults and deliberate provocation, the SKM has always ensured that the farmers’ protests against the anti-farmer laws and policies of the BJP led union government remain peaceful, lawful and in accordance with exercise of fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of India.”

The SKM has demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologise to the farmers of India for the ‘reprehensible and untruthful comments’ made by an MP of his party. “It is high time the PM stands with the annadatas of India and does not allow his party and its members to misbehave with those who are providing food security to the nation. It is not only the PM’s constitutional duty but people of India expect no less from him,” the SKM stated.

It has further sought an unconditional apology from Ranout to farmers of India for her inappropriate and incorrect statements. They have sought that she should uphold the dignity of her office failing which the SKM shall have no option but to issue a call for her public boycott.

In an equally strong reaction the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) have denounced her for depicting the farmers’ movement as planning a ‘colour revolution’ similar to what happened in Bangladesh.

“As a matter of fact, Kangana Ranaut’s despise towards the legendary and patriotic farmers’ movement is well documented,” the AIKS has stated. In a statement AIKS president Ashok Dhawale and general secretary Vijoo Krishnan have said that when the farmers were bravely fighting the harsh weather, the Covid pandemic, and the state violence unleashed by the RSS-BJP regime, Ranaut was dancing to the tune set by ‘external forces’— the hegemonic global finance — and their domestic lackeys.

“Her spiteful remarks on the peasantry, especially the denigrating remarks about peasant women exposed the fact that Ranaut will go to any extent to please her ‘external’ and ‘internal’ bosses who want to devour agriculture. Ranaut, who was the most obnoxious cheerleader of the pro-corporate farm laws also made totally false statements trying to connect ‘rapes and murders’ with farmers' movement.

“It is a plain truth that the Kisan struggle had 736 martyrs and Ranaut's colleagues in the RSS-BJP actually murdered protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri,” they added.

Reminding Ranaut and her colleagues in the Rashtriya Swayam Sangh-BJP that the farmers’ movement against the draconian farm laws drew its inspiration from the anti-imperialist freedom struggle against the British, the statement said, “One of the greatest icons of militant anti-imperialism and the freedom struggle Shaheed Bhagat Singh was the most popular image of resistance during the Kisan struggle.”

Placing the controversy in a historical context, they said, “The reactionary communal forces like the RSS, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League which betrayed the freedom struggle and acted as the stooges of British imperialism do not have any moral authority to question the patriotism of the peasantry and the working people. AIKS reiterates that, if implemented, the farm laws would have compromised the sovereignty and the food security of the country.”

Calling for Ranaut to withdraw her statements and apologise to the farmers for her ‘malicious and provocative’ remarks, the AIKS has called upon the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of her statements for deliberately misleading and creating discord against farmers besides taking strong deterrent action against her.

Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate tweeted, “BJP MP Kangana Ranaut also said that America and China were trying to create a Bangladesh-like situation in our country. Is Narendra Modi so weak that foreign powers are trying to create instability in our country?

“If this is true then... What steps have been taken by the government?

If it is a lie then... The government will have to answer this, because this is being said by a BJP MP.

“If this is not BJP's opinion, then it should not shrug off such matters but should expel the MP with such disgusting views from the party. We are waiting for clarification from the Modi government on all these questions.”

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab has described the BJP’s reprimand of Ranaut as a ‘mere act and a strategic move’ ahead of the assembly elections.Party spokesperson Neel Garg claimed that the reprimand is merely ‘performative’ as Ranaut’s remarks reflect the BJP’s ideology.

He noted that this is not the first instance of a BJP leader making statements or actions detrimental to people or farmers, yet the BJP has historically rewarded such individuals, citing examples like the party's endorsement of Ranaut and Ajay Mishra Teni.

He pointed out that while BJP leaders frequently label farmers as terrorists and separatists, the party has never taken substantial action against them. Garg suggested that the BJP’s recent statements are driven by the pressure of farmers’ discontent in Haryana, a key election state.

In Punjab there is already a lot of resentment being expressed by Sikhs over the portrayal of the community in Ranout’s forthcoming film ‘Emergency’. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had recently sought a ban on the movie over its misrepresentation of the community. The social media is full of posts and songs from certain elements calling for the boycott of the movie.