Deepika Stood With Those Celebrating Jawans’ Deaths: Smriti Irani

The Women & Child Welfare Min said she wanted to know Deepika’s political affiliation after the actor visited JNU.

The Women and Child Welfare said that she wanted to know Padukone’s political affiliations.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Friday, 10 January, criticised leading Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone for expressing solidarity with the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), saying that she stood with the people who “celebrate when CRPF jawans die.”

She also accused Deepika of supporting those who “divided India.”

The Textiles and Women & Child Development Minister said that she wanted to know Padukone’s political affiliations.

“I think that anybody who has read the news knew where you are going to stand... knew that you are standing with people who celebrate every time a CRPF jawan is killed. I would rather know what her political affiliation is than not know...”

Smriti Irani, Textiles and Women & Child Development Minister

Irani did add that she couldn’t deny Deepika the right to stand next to girls “who will beat up other girls with whom they don’t see eye-to-eye ideologically, in their private parts.”

Padukone, whose film ‘Chhapaak’ hit the screens on Friday, 10 January, had visited the JNU campus on 7 January to express solidarity with the JNU students who were attacked by a masked mob on campus earlier this month.