New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) BJP MP Kangana Ranaut on Wednesday backtracked from her comments asking for the three farm laws repealed in 2021 to be brought back, once again finding herself in the middle of a political row, with the saffron party distancing itself from her remarks and the Congress seeking action against her.
Ranaut said her “personal” views do not represent the BJP’s stance on the matter even as the Congress demanded her expulsion from the saffron party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s explanation over the issue.
The actor-politician’s remarks put the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a tight spot once again, more so as it is in the middle of an intense campaign to retain power in Haryana, which had witnessed protests against the three laws that were later withdrawn by the Centre.
BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia distanced the party from Ranaut’s comments while rejecting her support for the laws.
Bhatia said the BJP has not authorised Ranaut to make any such statement and nor does her stand reflect the party’s views.
BJP national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said Ranaut’s “consistent, baseless and illogical rant” against farmers and Sikh community has a “damaging impact” on all the good work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the welfare of “Punjab, punjabi and punjabiyat”.
The prime minister’s bond with the farmers and Punjab cannot be and must not be judged through the lens of one MP’s “irresponsible comments”, Shergill said on X.
The Himachal Pradesh BJP has also distanced itself from Ranaut’s statement.
However, BJP lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh, Nand Kishor Gurjar, backed Ranaut, saying the farmers of the country want the prime minister to implement the three bills as they would ensure their welfare and upliftment.
“I fully support what Kangana Ranaut has said. This is not the first time I am saying this. I have been saying this since day one,” the Loni MLA said.
Addressing an event in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, Ranaut said the three contentious farm laws faced protests only in some states.
“Farmers are a pillar of strength in India’s progress. Only in some states, they had objected to the farm laws. I appeal with folded hands that the farm laws should be brought back in the interest of farmers,” she had said.
Ranaut represents Mandi in the Lok Sabha.
On Wednesday, the actor-politician said in a post X: “My views on Farmers Laws are personal and they don’t represent the party’s stand on those Bills.” Ranaut got into trouble for her comments on the protests against the Central government’s farm laws earlier as well.
In June, barely weeks after she was elected to Parliament, Ranaut was slapped at the Chandigarh airport by a female Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable, who had said she was irked by the BJP leader’s statements on the farmer protests.
However, in an interview with the news channel India Today in August, the actor said she was “reprimanded” for her remarks over the farm laws protests.
“Of course, I was reprimanded and that’s fine. I am not the final voice of the party. I believe in the guidance of my superiors… there are people who are my superiors and they are free to reprimand me.
“I am looking forward to being careful with my words and being aligned with the policies (of the BJP) because ‘hum rahe na rahe, Bharat rehna chahiye’ (we may or may not be here forever, but this nation has to live on) and that is the official position of the party and I am aligned with it,” Ranaut said.
The Congress lost no time to hit out the BJP over the issue, with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi saying Modi must clarify whether he is opposed to Ranaut’s comments or “up to some mischief”.
The opposition party said the BJP must expel Ranaut if it does not agree with her statements.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the poll-bound states, including Haryana, would give a fitting reply to the saffron party.
In a video statement, Gandhi said, “Those associated with the BJP keep testing ideas. They ask someone to voice an idea among people and then they see the reaction. This is what has happened. One of their MPs has talked about reviving the three black farm laws. Modiji, you must clarify whether you are against this or you are again up to some mischief.” “Will the three farm laws be revived or not? If you do so, I guarantee you that the INDIA bloc will together stand against it. Seven hundred people were martyred, they must be remembered and respected,” the Congress leader said.
“Modiji had not allowed a two-minute silence for them (those who died during the year-long anti-farm laws protest). We will never forget this,” he said.
In a post in Hindi on X along with his video, Gandhi asked, “Who is deciding the government’s policy? A BJP MP or Prime Minister Modi?” “Even after the martyrdom of more than 700 farmers, especially the farmers of Haryana and Punjab, the BJP people are not satisfied. INDIA will not allow any conspiracy of the BJP against our farmers to succeed — if any step is taken to harm the farmers, Modiji will have to apologise again,” he added.
In a post on X, Kharge said: “Even after the martyrdom of 750 farmers, the anti-farmer BJP and Modi government did not realise their grave crime! There is talk of re-implementation of the three black anti-farmer laws. The Congress Party strongly opposes this.” The Congress president said the farmers will not forget that their colleagues were crushed under a vehicle and the government used barbed-wire fences, teargas shells from drones, nails and guns to quell their protest against the three contentious laws.
“This time, poll-bound states, including Haryana, will give a befitting reply to insulting remarks, calling farmers ‘andolanjeevi’ and ‘parasites’, hurled by the Prime Minister himself in Parliament,” Kharge said in his post in Hindi.
“Due to Modiji’s statements, his ministers, MPs and propaganda machinery have become habituated to insulting farmers,” he alleged.
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha president and farmer leader from Punjab Sarwan Singh Pandher sought action against Ranaut for her comments on the farm laws.
“If the Centre has already repealed those laws and if an elected BJP MP makes a statement on those laws, then action should be taken against her. Can anybody speak on policy matters and then say it was his or her personal view?” Pandher asked.
“The BJP has been exposed over this issue,” he said.
It was only last month when Ranaut made controversial remarks about the farmers’ agitation against the three laws, linking the protests with violence and rape. The BJP had pulled her up then as well while dissociating itself from her comments. BJP president J P Nadda had summoned her.
The three laws — the Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act — were repealed in November 2021.
The farmers’ protest started at the fag-end of November 2020 and ended after Parliament repealed the three laws that had come into force in June 2020. PTI TEAM RHL
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