Shimla: Actor-politician and BJP’s Mandi Lok Sabha candidate Kangana Ranaut’s ‘beef’ controversy may queer the election pitch for the Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP) in ‘dev bhoomi (god’s land)’ Himachal Pradesh, with native occasion leaders now worrying about its affect on the parliamentary seat.
The row erupted after Congress chief and Maharashtra’s Chief of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar claimed at a public assembly Friday that the BJP had given a celebration ticket to “beef-eater” Ranaut. On the identical day, Vikramaditya Singh, Himachal’s public works minister and the Congress’s possible candidate from Mandi, made the identical assertion.
“Those that eat beef are contesting elections from dev bhoomi, which is a matter of concern for our tradition. This has nothing to do with the politics,” he posted on his Fb web page on 6 April.
On her half, Ranaut has dismissed the claims saying she was a “proud Hindu”.
“I don’t eat beef or every other sort of pink meat, it’s shameful that utterly baseless rumours are being unfold about me, I’ve been advocating and selling yogic and Ayurvedic lifestyle for many years now such techniques received’t work to tarnish my picture,” she posted on X Monday.
I don’t eat beef or every other sort of pink meat, it’s shameful that utterly baseless rumours are being unfold about me, I’ve been advocating and selling yogic and Ayurvedic lifestyle for many years now such techniques received’t work to tarnish my picture. My folks know me and…
— Kangana Ranaut (Modi Ka Parivar) (@KanganaTeam) April 8, 2024
The BJP, in the meantime, has publicly defended the actor, accusing the Congress of “unnecessarily raking up the problem”.
“Kangana has refuted all such claims and the matter ought to finish right here. However Congress has run out of actual points. They’re even indecisive about their candidates. That’s the reason such allegations are being hurled,” Randhir Sharma, BJP’s MLA from Sri Naina Deviji and chief spokesperson of the state occasion unit, instructed ThePrint.
However native occasion leaders privately admit that the controversy may affect the occasion’s prospects in Mandi, a area identified for its host of native deities and powerful reference to Dev Samaj, a Nineteenth-century social reformist motion.
“That is just the start. Many extra controversies are anticipated and we must sweat it out to defend her. This controversy might be detrimental to the Mandi seat,” a senior chief instructed ThePrint.
Additionally Learn: Bypolls, tickets for Congress rebels & uneasy cadres — Himachal BJP stares at difficult street forward
‘Not good for us’
In a speech in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli, Wadettiwar claimed Ranaut had “admitted to consuming beef”. “BJP has given a ticket to a beef-eater. I’m not saying that. Kangana had as soon as admitted it,” he mentioned.
Congress chief and scion of Himachal Pradesh’s erstwhile Bushahr royal household Vikramaditya Singh repeated these assertions at a press convention he held within the state capital Shimla Tuesday.
Calling Ranaut a “queen of controversies”, the minister mentioned: “I pray to Lord Ram to offer her knowledge and hopes she goes again pure from ‘dev bhoomi’ Himachal to Bollywood as a result of she won’t win the election”.
Though it’s nonetheless unclear what video the 2 Congress leaders have been referring to, the statements have kicked up a storm on social media.
Singh defended his remarks to ThePrint, claiming that Ranaut’s statements have been “on report”. “I got here to find out about it from her interview,” he mentioned. “She has admitted it in lots of interviews. I’ve nothing to say if she is altering her assertion now however she had admitted it herself.”
Regardless of BJP’s defence of the actor, some occasion leaders say the controversy may have an effect on the occasion’s possibilities in Mandi. The occasion is already taking measures — from vetting Ranaut’s speeches to strictly managing her media interactions — to maintain the actor away from rows.
“Such controversies aren’t good for the occasion,” one BJP MLA admitted. “Congress is aware of this and that’s why Vikramaditya raised this challenge. We’d like a technique to counter such allegations.”
Political analyst MPS Rana agreed, saying that given the deity tradition within the area, the BJP mustn’t take the most recent row calmly. “Such allegations may have a deep affect in rural areas,” he mentioned.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
Additionally Learn: Ticket denials set off ‘proxy conflict’ in Karnataka BJP. Eshwarappa leads cost towards Yediyurappa
