‘Withdraw Padma Award’: Congress Leader Reacts to Kangana’s ‘Azadi’ Comment

'Should I call this madness or treason?' BJP MP Varun Gandhi had asked in reaction to Kangana's comment.

President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Padma Shri upon Kangana Ranaut.

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)

Kangana Ranaut was embroiled in controversy after her comment that India got freedom in 1947 as ‘bheek’ (alms) and true freedom came in 2014, the year Narendra Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister. Congress leader Anand Sharma tweeted that Ranaut’s Padma Shri should be ‘withdrawn immediately’.

Anand Sharma wrote, “The Padma Award given to Ms. Ranaut should be withdrawn immediately. Before giving such awards, mental psychological evaluation should be done so that in future such persons do not disrespect the nation and its heroes.” He also tagged India’s President Ram Nath Kovind who presented Kangana with the award.

Sharma called Kangana Ranaut’s statement was ‘shocking and outrageous,’ adding that the statement was “heaping insult on the courageous freedom fighters led by Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Sardar Patel but also belittling the sacrifices of revolutionaries like Sardar Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekar Azad and several others.”

During the Times Now Summit 2021, Kangana had said, “Coming back to Savarkar, Lakshmibai, or Netaji Bose…these people knew that the blood will flow but it shouldn’t be Hindustani blood. They knew it. They paid a prize, of course. Woh azaadi nahi thi, woh bheek thi. Aur jo azaadi mili hai woh 2014 mai mili hai (That wasn’t freedom, those were alms. And we got real freedom in 2014.)”

In the series of tweets, Anand Sharma also said that the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) should “break his silence and tell the nation if he endorses the views of Ms Ranaut.” As an alternative, Sharma suggested ‘appropriate legal action’.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik controversially theorised that Kangana made the statements due to a 'heavy dose of Malana Cream (a kind of hashish).'

Malik added, “The Centre must take cognisance of the matter and take back the Padma Shri from Kangana Ranaut and arrest her for insulting India's freedom fighters."

Even BJP MP Varun Gandhi had criticised Kangana Ranaut’s statement. Reacting to a clip from the summit posted on Twitter, Gandhi wrote in Hindi, “Sometimes Mahatma Gandhi’s dedication and sacrifices are insulted, sometimes his killer is respected. And now lakhs of freedom fighters, from Shaheed Mangal Pandey to Rani Lakshmibai, Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, are being insulted. Should I call this thinking madness or treason?”

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) submitted an application to the Mumbai Police requesting that a case be filed against her for ‘seditious and inflammatory’ statements.