.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
Kangana Ranaut has put the BJP in a difficult position with a series of controversial statements, so much so that the party had to issue a gag order against her. Why is the BJP leadership finding it difficult to manage Ranaut?
The BJP leadership is facing a very peculiar problem and it is called Kangana Ranaut. The Mandi MP has hit the headlines with one controversial statement after another - from alleging that rapes were taking place during the 2020-21 farmers protest to openly slamming the demand for a caste census.
Matters escalated so much that the BJP even had to issue a statement expressing "disagreement" with her and making it clear that she is "not authorised to make statements on policy issues".
Now, the BJP is by and large known as party where leaders seldom deviate from the party line at least in their public statements. So it is really a big deal that the party had to issue such a strong statement distancing themselves from her. Not just that, she was also summoned by party president JP Nadda on 29 August.
But the issue is not so simple. There's no denying that Ranaut has a tendency to make strange statements. But it is also true that she is popular among a section of BJP's rank and file as well as the pro-Hindutva elements on social media.
So what's really happening between the BJP leadership and the actor-turned-politician? And will the party party be able to manage her effectively?
"You are a Good Question But Your Question Hurt Me"
This was one of the most famous dialogues in Kangana Ranaut's superhit film Tanu Weds Manu Returns. Though delivered by actor Deepak Dobriyal in the film, it seems to now apply more to Ranaut in light of her recent interviews.
Ranaut's comments on the farmers' protest in a recent interview had already landed the BJP in trouble, especially with Assembly elections due next month in Haryana, a state that was the ground zero of the farmers' protest.
It was this statement that provoked a strong rebuttal from the BJP. The party said:
“The statement given by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut in the context of farmers’ movement is not the opinion of the party. The BJP expresses disagreement with the statement of Kangana Ranaut. On behalf of the party, Kangana Ranaut is neither permitted nor authorised to make statements on party policy issues. On behalf of the BJP, she has been directed not to make any such statements in future."BJP statement on Kangana Ranaut's comments
Had it not been for the Haryana elections, the party could easily have dismissed it as Ranaut's personal opinion. But calling protesting farmers "rapists" was clearly not the messaging the party wanted in the poll bound state.
A few days later, another video of Ranaut went viral, of her interview with Lallantop's Saurabh Dwivedi.
On being asked about her stand on caste census, Ranaut said, "It should absolutely not happen". This went completely against the BJP's cautious approach on the issue.
When Dwivedi raised the issue of affirmative action for oppressed castes, Ranaut said "Reservation should only be for the poor".
When the interviewer questioned her about atrocities against Dalits, Ranaut said, "That's because they are poor", evidently denying caste discrimination.
Unfortunately for Ranaut, the embarrassment didn't end there. She ended up wrongly calling former President Ram Nath Kovind as "Ram Covid ji" and misidentified him as "India's first Dalit president". The interviewer promptly pointed out that KR Narayanan was actually the first Dalit president and Ranaut had to apologise for being "misinformed".
Then Kangana was found struggling in another interview, with Manak Gupta of News24.
"How can Rahul Gandhi become Leader of the Opposition? What has he done to deserve that position?
Gupta reminded her that Gandhi "was made Leader of the Opposition because his party won 99 seats, well above the minimum requirement of 55 seats".
"If you are going to conduct the interview like this, then it can't happen," an embarrassed Ranaut replied.
BJP's Dilemma
At the root of the BJP's problem lies the fact that Ranaut is a complex figure and it is almost impossible to separate her personality, her acting and her politics from each other. Even a cursory look at Ranaut's interviews would make it clear that the three aspects are entangled with each other.
Ranaut is not like Smriti Irani, who took a decisive call to become a 24/7 politician and gave up acting completely. Nor is she like Ravi Kishan, for whom acting seems the bigger priority and his work is mostly unrelated to his politics.
BJP insiders say that the "gag order" on Ranaut may not be very sustainable. This is because even if Ranaut stays away from political statements, she may still end up courting controversies or becoming the topic of online jokes for her comments. And at at the end of the day she is a BJP MP, so her being trolled on non-political matters is also harmful for the party.
Unfortunately for the party, Ranaut has become a convenient target not just for anti-BJP people but also neutral and pro-BJP elements who don't want to be critical of the party directly.
Ranaut's critics within BJP feel that she was much more useful for the party as an independent public figure pushing their ideology and targeting others who are not aligned with them, than as a BJP MP.
Support for Ranaut
Ranaut does have her share of followers, not just because of her star power but also because many Hindutva supporters agree with the positions she takes.
For instance, there are takers for her statements on both the farmers' protest and the caste census.
A number of BJP functionaries we spoke to, said off the record that Ranaut "didn't say anything wrong" and that the party had to distance itself from her statements "only due to political compulsions".
The support for Ranaut is stronger from a section of youth who are not associated with the BJP formally but are strongly pro-Hindutva. They say that the BJP should openly oppose the caste census demand as it is "an attempt to divide Hindus".
Ranaut's earlier criticism of celebrities like Diljit Dosanjh, Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar, Hrithik Roshan, etc has also given her some popularity among this section.
She is seen as an actor who doesn't fall for political correctness and is unapologetic about her ideology.
However, it is true that Ranaut has often been the victim of misogynist comments and trolling. This was clear even in the recent controversy.
Former Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) MP Simranjit Singh Mann, responded to Ranaut's "rape" allegation saying that she could comment on rapes as she had "knowledge on the matter".
Then, political satirist Akash Banerjee was also criticised on social media for his comments on Ranaut.
What Happens Next?
It is unlikely that the BJP will be able to control what Ranaut does or says beyond a point. In the short run, the party would be lucky if the entire promotion and release of Emergency passes without any more negative publicity. The film is produced and directed by Ranaut and she is also playing the role of Indira Gandhi in the film. Strangely, the film is reported to have been delayed to the censor board's concerns.
"It is a political film so it is natural that politics will come up during the promotion of the film. However, she (Ranaut) should ensure that she sticks to the period shown in the film and not give statements on present day issues," a BJP leader told The Quint, adding, "If at all she has to speak on current politics, it should be about her constituency".
The film is likely to be deeply critical of the Congress and the excesses committed by Indira Gandhi's regime during the Emergency period. In that sense it works in BJP's favour.
However, the BJP's isn't escaping unscathed.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, an apex Sikh body, has called for a ban on Emergency, alleging that the film shows Sikhs in bad light and misrepresents Sikh history.
Ranaut, as it is, is a bit of a hated figure in Punjab because of her comments during the farmers' protest. Barely a few days after being elected MP, she was allegedly slapped by a Sikh female CRPF constable at Chandigarh airport. The constable's family alleged that Ranaut had called her a "Khalistani".
If the film indeed has content that maligns Sikh figures, then it is only likely to harm the BJP's already difficult position in Punjab.
But it's not just about Punjab. The bigger problem for BJP is how to contain Ranaut.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)