Kangana, Sena spar on Twitter
MUMBAI: A public spat between actor Kangana Ranaut and the Shiv Sena continued on Saturday with the party’s parliamentarian, Sanjay Raut, telling her to use her own Twitter handle and not make post through the IT cell of a political outfit.
This came in the wake of a row triggered by Ranaut’s allegation that Raut issued an “open threat” asking her not to return to Mumbai if she had no faith in the city police.
“Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena leader has given me an open threat and asked me not to come back to Mumbai, after Aazadi graffitis in Mumbai streets and now open threats, why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan-occupied Kashmir?” she tweeted earlier this week.
The Shiv Sena and Congress have alleged that the BJP IT cell was behind Ranaut’s Twitter account. The BJP, however, has distanced itself from the actor’s remarks, saying the party “does not subscribe to anti-Mumbai or anti-Maharashtra sentiments”.
Ranaut’s comments sparked a political row with state home minister Anil Deshmukh saying on Friday that “she has no right to stay in Mumbai”.
“I don’t want to say anything on the issue,” he said on Saturday. Deshmukh also evaded a question on Raut’s demand that the home ministry should act against Ranaut for casting aspersions over the credibility of Mumbai Police.
Meanwhile, Sena legislator Pratap Sarnaik said on Saturday that Sena’s women workers will slap Ranaut when she arrives in Mumbai. “This issue concerns the pride of Maharashtra and there will be no compromise on this front. Ranaut needs to apologise for her PoK remarks or else she will face the music from our women’s wing.”
The National Commission for Woman (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma on Friday demanded Sarnaik’s arrest. “These are highly objectionable statements... will write to the DGP of Maharashtra to take action and arrest this man,” Sharma told ANI.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, which has threatened to file a case against Ranaut for “anti-national activity”, said on Saturday that the Sena was adopting diversionary tactics to cover its government’s failure to handle Covid-19.