Kangana Ranaut warned after comparing farmers’ protest to potential Bangladesh-like crisis

Indian actor-politician Kangana Ranaut faced sharp criticism from the BJP leadership following her contentious remarks on the ongoing farmers' protest in India. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clarified today that Ranaut's statements do not reflect the party's official stance, asserting that she is not authorised to speak on policy matters on its behalf.

The BJP's response came a day after the 38-year-old BJP MP suggested that the farmers' protest could have led India into a crisis similar to Bangladesh's, had it not been for the government's decisive actions, reported NDTV.

"Kangana Ranaut is not authorised to make statements on policy matters for the party and has been instructed to refrain from doing so in the future," the BJP stated in an official communication.

Earlier, BJP leaders in Haryana and Punjab also advised the MP from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi to refrain from making inflammatory comments. "It is not Kangana's department to speak on farmers, Kangana's statement is personal. [Indian] PM Modi and the BJP are farmer-friendly. The opposition parties are working against us, and Kangana's statement is doing the same. She should not make such statements, on sensitive or religious issues, religious organisations," Punjab BJP leader Harjit Grewal said.

Her comments also drew a response from the Congress with leader Randeep Surjewala asking the BJP leader to "get well soon". Surjewalal, who is campaigning in poll-bound Haryana that witnessed year-long farmers' protest, asked, "Were these just Kangana's words or did someone else copy them? If not, then why is the BJP silent on the issue?"

Ranaut, known for her provocative remarks, has been a strong critic of the farmers' protest against the now-repealed three farm laws.

In 2020, she allegedly misidentified a woman farmer from Punjab who was taking part in the protests and called her Bilkis Bano—an elderly woman who had become one of the faces of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Law (CAA) protests earlier in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh. She had also said the woman was "available for Rs 100", suggesting she could be hired for protests.

The statement sparked a massive row that resurfaced when Ranaut was slapped by a woman Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable at the Chandigarh airport while she was on her way to Delhi in June this year.

Meanwhile, ahead of the release of her film "Emergency", Ranaut has sought the help of police after receiving death threats on social media. She is portraying the role of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi in the film slated to be released in theatres on September 6.

A video surfaced on social media in which a man could be heard saying that if the film were released, she would be beaten with sandals. Sharing the video on her official X handle, Ranaut wrote, "Please look into this" and tagged Himachal, Maharashtra and Punjab police.