Within days after she made “objectionable” comments against Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut faced backlash on Saturday, as the ruling Shiv Sena workers took out a procession of a donkey with Kangana’s poster wrapped on it and later burnt her effigy at Miraj town in western Maharashtra.
The Shiv Sainiks staged a massive protest against Kangana at Miraj in Sangli district of western Maharashtra. As part of the protest, they took out a donkey procession with a poster of the actress wrapped over the animal. The protesters raised slogans against Kangana for her “objectionable” remarks against Udhav Thackeray and the Mumbai police.
The protesters said that the actress, through her remarks, had insulted “self-respect” of Maharashtra. At the end of the procession, the protestors burnt an effigy of the actress.
Saturday was the second occasion when the Shiv Sainiks staged a protest against Kangana. Earlier the Sena activists had burnt her effigy and pictures in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Thane, Palghar, Nashik and other cities. On its part, the BJP too has distanced from Kangana’s “anti-Mumbai” comments.
Kangana has come under fire from various quarters for controversial statements comparing Mumbai to “Pak-Occupied Kashmir” and saying “it seems Mumbai is addicted to blood” and dubbing Bollywood as an 'Islam-dominated' film industry. There have also been protests erupted in Mumbai and other cities against the actress
Through a series of tweets put out during and after the BMC workers demolished her office at Bandra’s Pali Hill area in north-west Mumbai on Wednesday last, Kangana had among other things come up with a “..... tujhe kya lagta hai?” dare for Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, whom she had threatened to expose.
It may be recalled that referring to Uddhav Thackeray as “tujhe”, Kangana had on September 9 launched an all out war against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. “Uddhav Thackeray, tujhe kya lagta hai? (what do you think?)… colluded along with the film mafia, demolished my home and took revenge on me? My home was demolished today, your arrogance will crumble tomorrow,” Kangana had said in a video message on her arrival in Mumbai.
As the BMC was in the midst of the demolition of alleged illegal structures in her bungalow, Kangana -- who was on her way from Himachal Pradesh to Mumbai, had compared her office to Ram mandir and said that Babar is demolishing it. She compared BMC officials to “Babur army” and said that history would repeat itself and she will reconstruct her 'mandir'.
“This is the wheel of time, remember, it never stays the same,” she said, adding that she could sense as to what could have happened with Kashmiri pandits. “Today, I promise that I will make a film on Kashmir like Ayodhya.....Uddhav Thackeray….I feel good that it has happened to me…it has a meaning,” she had said.
In some more tweets out during the day, Kangana had said: “Come Udhav Thakeray and Karan Johar Gang you broke my work place come now break my house then break my face and body, I want world to see clearly what you anyway do underhand, whether I live or die I will expose you regardless”.
“My office was suddenly declared illegal in the last 24 hours, they have destroyed everything inside including furniture and lights and now I am getting threats they will come to my house and break it as well,I am glad my judgement of the movie mafia’s favourite world’s best CM was right,” she had tweeted.
“There is no illegal construction in my house, also the government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like,” Kangaa had tweeted.