Kangana Ranaut targets Uddhav Thackeray for opening bars and restaurants

Mumbai: Actress Kangana Ranaut is in the headlines every day, thanks to her controversial statements on social media. From comparing Mumbai to PoK, calling farmers as terrorists to targeting fellow actors, she has done it all during the lockdown.

Now, she has been at the centre of a verbal row with the Shiv-Sena ruled Maharashtra government, after she compared Mumbai to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Earlier, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari sought a response from Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on opening of bar-restaurants and keeping the temples closed. Taking the opportunity, Kangana Ranaut has reacted on social media in this whole matter. She has also been reacting openly to the socio-political issues of the country for some time. Kangana has criticized Uddhav Thackeray’s decision on social media.

She wrote, “Nice to know Gunda government is being questioned by Honourable Governor sir, Gundas have opened bars and restaurants but strategically keeping temples shut. Sonia Sena is behaving worse than Babur Sena ….”

On Monday, the Governor wrote to Uddhav Thackeray “requesting him to announce forthwith” the reopening of places of worship with Covid precautions.

“You have been a strong votary of Hindutva. You had publicly espoused your devotion for Lord Rama by visiting Ayodhya after taking charge as Chief Minister. You had visited the Vitthal Rukmini Mandir in Pandharpur and performed the puja on Ashadhi Ekadashi,” Mr Koshyari wrote.

“I wonder if you are receiving any divine premonition to keep postponing the reopening of places of worship time and again or have you turned ‘secular’ yourselves, a term you hated?”

The Chief Minister retorted that his Hindutva did not require a certificate from the Governor or anyone and that he would take a decision after careful consideration. “You said I am getting divine premonitions? Maybe you get them but I am not so big,” he wrote back in Marathi.

Referring to actor Kangana Ranaut without naming her, Mr Thackeray added that “inviting people who call Mumbai PoK with smiles does not fall into my definition of Hindutva”.

Mr Thackeray reminded the Governor that the reopening of temples or delaying it “is not a question of secularism” and questioned whether Mr Koshyari had forgotten his own constitutional oath. “Have you forgotten that you also swore by the constitution that also has the word ‘secular’. Are you rejecting it?…Is reopening temples not secular and keeping them closed secular?”

The Chief Minister also said just like “suddenly imposing lockdown” was wrong, lifting it suddenly was wrong.