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Reiterating her previous statement that India attained independence in 2014, actor-turned-politician and the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut said on Monday she wished to see India become a 'Hindu Rashtra'.
Addressing a public meeting here, Kangana, who is bidding for a maiden term in the Lok Sabha from her native Mandi, said, "Our forbears saw and suffered centuries of slavery under the Mughals, followed by the British. What followed after 1947, when the country was freed of British rule, was the misgovernance of the Congress over several decades. The country, in the truest sense, attained freedom in 2014 (when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the country's reins). It not only marked freedom for thinking but also for Sanatan. It gave us the freedom to practice and flaunt our own religion without fear and advance the vision of making India a Hindu Rashtra (Hindu nation)." Questioning why India wasn't declared a Hindu nation at the time of independence, she added, "During partition in 1947, which led to the birth of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, why wasn't India declared a Hindu nation? We will work towards making India a Hindu Rashtra." The decision to field Kangana from Mandi, which has traditionally been a stronghold of the ruling Congress in the state, adds a layer of intrigue to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In her maiden bid for membership of the Lower House, she faces a formidable challenge in the form of Congress heavyweight and the son of late former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, Vikramaditya Singh. Polling in Himachal, which is scheduled for June 1, will not only pit candidates vying for Lok Sabha membership from four seats but also elect members for six assembly seats that fell vacant following the resignation and switchover of dissident Congress lawmakers. The BJP, which won all four Lok Sabha constituencies in the state in the 2019 elections, is eyeing an encore this time. The Mandi constituency holds symbolic significance for the Congress, as it is considered a bastion of the Virbhadra family. The seat is currently held by Pratibha Devi Singh, the late leader's widow. She wrested the seat for the Congress in the bye-election that was held following the demise of then-BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma. (ANI)
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