Kangana Ranaut was a guest speaker at the Times Now Summit 2021. During her appearance, she talked about the freedom struggle and the British Raj, adding that India got independence in 1947 as alms and the ‘real freedom’ came in 2014.
Several users on social media have criticised Kangana for the comments, with many chastising the actor for ‘insulting India’s freedom fighters’. Kangana also mentioned Veer Savarkar, Lakshmibai, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by name during her monologue.
During the summit, Kangana Ranaut called the Congress an ‘extension of the British,’ and added, “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.)”
A Twitter account shared a snippet of this clip on social media, with the caption (as translated), “A government sycophant who became a warrior by holding a plastic sword and sitting on a wooden horse, is insulting the freedom soldiers. She’s calling the fruits of our sacrifices, alms.”
At first, Kangana had asked the audience, “Azaadi agar bheek mai mile kya woh azaadi ho sakti hai? (If freedoms comes after begging, can that be real freedom?)”
In the clip, the interviewer promptly said to Kangana, “Isi liye log aapko kehte hai ki aap bhagwaan hai. (This is why people say you're a God.)” The audience also applauded Kangana Ranaut's comments.
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Actor Swara Bhasker reacted to the clip and wrote, "Who are the idiots who are clapping is what I want to know.."
MP Varun 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?
Pankaj Jain wrote in Hindi, "Kangana said that we got Independence in 1947 by begging and we got real independence in 2014. This isn't shocking because this is exactly what we expect from her. According to her, Subhas (Chandra Bose), Bhagat (Singh), or Chandra Shekhar (Azad) didn't do anything. I was bothered by the people who clapped at such a statement. This is where the country is standing now."
Take a look at some of the other reactions:
Further Context
While referencing the 1857 Revolt which the British had crushed, Kangana Ranaut talked about how the British Raj came down upon the Indian population.
Kangana added, “Indians cultivated in themselves a strong sense of being wronged. In that phase where you’re stripped of everything, all you want is to fight. I’m not saying ‘this is right’ or ‘this is wrong’. I’m saying that is what human psyche is.”
Kangana then alleged that those labelled ‘liberals and Congress helped Britishers in their agenda,' “And the British were acutely aware that blood will flow but they decided whose blood will flow. It shouldn’t be their blood. And for that they needed some people who could help them. For that, they needed some people who could help them so that Indian blood flows. These are the people who were labelled as liberals, Congress.”
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