Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Sunday, 14 November, wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind urging him to take back actress Kangana Ranaut's Padma Shri Award after her recent comment on a news channel that India got freedom in 1947 as ‘bheek’ (alms) and the true freedom came in 2014.
Maliwal wrote that this is not the first time Ranaut has made such a comment and that she is 'habitual of spewing venom' against the people of the country.
"Her behaviour is in no way befitting of the recipient of the highest award in the country and is also an insult to the stalwarts who received the award with and before her," she wrote in her letter to the president.
Alluding to the freedom struggle, Maliwal said that the nation got independence through ultimate sacrifices and martyrdom and that Ranaut's statement hurts the sentiment of millions of Indians.
Earlier, several politicians such as BJP's Varun Gandhi, Congress' Anand Sharma condemned the remark made by the actor and asked the president to take back her honour.
But this not the first that Ranaut has made such a statement. Even in her acceptance speech, which she put online, she said that she has constantly fought against the 'Khalistans' and 'Jihadis' and that the award will "shut the mouths of people who have criticised" her.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)