New Delhi: As Assembly elections approach Haryana, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to keep itself in the good books of the people. However, Mandi MP and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut’s statement has not gone down well with the party leadership, or Haryana farmers, and may have brought BJP’s election campaigns into murky waters.
The BJP MP Kangana Ranaut who is known for her controversial and “bold” stance over several issues, landed into trouble after her statement that the farm laws should be brought back and the farmers themselves should come outside and demand to re-instate the proposed laws. Her comments drew widespread criticism and anger from the farmer community in the poll-bound Haryana.
Soon after Kangana’s statement went viral across social media, the BJP leaders and spokespersons jumped in to rescue the face of the party by openly distancing themselves and the party from Kangana and her statements.
Taking cues from the BJP leadership, Kangana Ranaut, on Wednesday apologized for her remarks through a social media post, by ‘confirming’ that the statements she made earlier were ‘personal’ and by no means the party’s official take on the farm laws.
The BJP distanced itself from her ‘personal opinion’ and stated that the remarks are by no means the party’s official stand about the farm bills.
Haryana, farmers and anti-farm bill protests
Haryana is a state with a major farming population, which was leading the protests against the farm bills, along with the farmers from Punjab. During the run-up to the state assembly elections, scheduled to be held on October 5, the BJP is on a back foot in the state, with many of the farming villages not allowing the BJP leaders and candidates to even enter the villages to do election campaigning. This includes former ministers of the state and their kind who are participating in this election.
The Indian Farmers’ Protests of 2020-21 were held against the Modi-led BJP government to repeal the controversial farm bills. The protesting farmers believed that the bills, which the BJP-led Union government tried to introduce, were anti-farmer and pro-corporate. The protests were met with a harsh response from the Union government and BJP leaders.
Over 750 farmers lost their lives during protests that lasted for over a year and four months. As a result, the Union government had no choice but to repeal the laws and meet the demands of the protesting farmers, including the formation of a committee to ensure a minimum support price for the crops they produce.
With BJP already facing resistance from farmers over its contentious farm bills that triggered the massive protests, Kangana’s remarks have further complicated the party’s election prospects.
Despite the party leaders distancing themselves from Kangana’s comments and her apology, these methods to cover up may have been insufficient to repair the damage amidst the party’s struggles to regain trust in the region where farmer discontent remains high.
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