Delhi women’s panel chief Swati Maliwal slams Kangana Ranaut over her remarks on India’s freedom

Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal on Friday slammed Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut for her remarks on the country’s independence. Ranaut had kicked off a row by declaring that India attained ‘real freedom’ in 2014, when the Narendra Modi-led government came to power, and describing the country’s Independence in 1947 as ‘bheek’, or alms. “The freedom attained due to Bhagat Singh, Azad and Gandhi seems like ‘bheek’ to her and she calls ‘satta ki ghulami’ (being a slave to those in power) real freedom. Did she get a national award for such thinking?” Maliwal tweeted in Hindi, while sharing Ranaut’s video clip in which she made the comments.

At a recent event on Thursday (November 11), Kangana spoke about India and its fight for independence. She said “That was not freedom but ‘bheekh’ (alms), and the freedom came in 2014.” Ranaut was apparently referring to the BJP coming to power in 2014. 

Ranaut was recently awarded the Padma Shri and the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performances in Manikarnika: Queen of Jhansi and Panga. She received the prestigious award from President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony hosted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Sharing a picture of herself, the actress wrote, “Long ago when I started my career ….A question bothered me … I asked myself some want money, some want fans …. some seek fame and some just want attention …. What do I want? Deep down I always knew as a girl child I wanted to earn respect and that is my treasure. Thank you India for this gift.”

Meanwhile, on the professional front, she will be seen in ‘Manikarnika Returns: The Legend Of Didda’, ‘Emergency’, ‘Dhaakad’, ‘Tejas’, and ‘The Incarnation: Sita’.

(With PTI inputs)