’Kangana Ranaut reading BJP’s script,’ says Akhilesh Yadav on Bollywood actor’s remarks on farmers’ protest

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Kangana Ranaut over her remarks on farmers' protests.

Yadav, the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, said the actor-politician's words were ‘deliberate’ and will be used as a ‘shield’ so that the top leadership of the saffron party is not blamed for its imminent defeat in the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls.

"This is the BJP's script, which is being read out by an actress as dialogue on the instructions of a top director. When an ordinary politician understands that using abusive language about the farmers' movement in a farmers' state will harm their prospects, the BJP's Chanakya does not understand this?" Yadav said in a post in Hindi on X.

On Monday, the BJP distanced itself from Kangana Ranaut's remarks and asked her to refrain from making such statements.

The remarks triggered heated exchanges in the assembly of the Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh as the House adopted a resolution condemning the remarks, according to a PTI report. 

"The real truth of this episode is that such a thing must have been said deliberately so that the statement of the actress can be cited as the reason for the defeat that has already been decided in Haryana and the top leadership is not blamed for it. This is not a statement but a 'word-shield' to protect someone," Yadav added.

Thousands of farmers from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and other places had held an agitation at Delhi's borders for several months against the now-repealed farm laws.

With Haryana going to polls on October 1, the opposition has targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue. 

The Aam Aadmi Party's Haryana unit staged protests in the state against her remarks, with a party leader saying her statement indicates the BJP's "mindset" towards farmers. The AAP leaders and workers held protests at various places, including Jind, Yamunanagar, and Panchkula.

(With PTI inputs)