New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) The Congress on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Kangana Ranaut after the latter compared senior Congress leaders with Pakistan over the ‘Vande Mataram’ row, asking the BJP to “make her consult a good doctor”.
Speaking to IANS during a temple visit in Mumbai, Ranaut said: “Vande Mataram represents the consciousness of India. As an artist, I understand the impact that art and poetry can have on people. The level of hatred shown towards it, and the efforts made to stop its rendition despite being on camera, are deeply concerning. I would say that even people in Pakistan may not show such a reaction.”
“I will say that Congress is not only becoming ‘anti-BJP’, but also against the country,” she claimed.
Responding to the remark, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said: “The BJP itself does not take her (Kangana Ranaut) seriously… I repeatedly pray to God to keep her healthy. I want to say through this platform that she should consult a good doctor.”
“She (Kangana Ranaut) is becoming increasingly unwell day by day. The BJP should take note of this first and have her consult a good doctor,” she told IANS.
Launching a harsh critique against the actor-turned-politician Ranaut, Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi said: “Now Kangana Ranaut will tell us about patriotism despite being the one who said that ‘India got independence only in 2014’.”
“Those who don’t know the importance of independence, who didn’t wave the nation’s Tricolour for 52 years at the headquarters of their parent organisation (RSS), those who had initially denied to accept the Constitution, today they will teach us about patriotism?” he remarked while speaking to IANS.
Pratapgarhi claimed: “Today, these people (BJP) are making use of such issues just for politics otherwise their dream is to paint India in only one colour. They don’t like the National Flag or any other symbol of our country’s freedom.”
“They want to question the Congress whose leaders spent 10-12 years in prison while fighting against the British…Congress has a golden history of the freedom struggle. I would urge Kangana ji to read books about India’s freedom struggle and even after that, at least till 1960,” the Congress leader asserted.
A major controversy erupted over the conduct of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leader Sonia Gandhi during the rendition of the national song Vande Mataram during the Independence Day celebrations at the party headquarters.
–IANS
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