Kangna Ranaut, BJP’s pick for the Mandi parliamentary elections, was shown black flags amid sloganeering by locals and Congress workers at Kaza in the Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh on Monday.
Purportedly infuriated by her remarks against the Tibetan spiritual head Dalai Lama last year in April, the protestors shouted slogans like ‘Kangna Ranaut, go back’ and ‘Kangna-Vangna nahi chalegi’ (Kangna is not acceptable for us)’.
The Himachal Pradesh BJP registered a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against Congress drawing the attention of the poll panel to the incident that occurred during a political rally of the actress-turned-politician, former CM Jai Ram Thakur and BJP candidate from Lahaul-Spiti bye-elections Ravi Thakur.
“The political procession was subjected to a life-threatening attack by Congress Workers putting the lives of the participants at grave risk apart from causing grievous injury to one BJP worker. The assailants from Congress tried to illegally restrain the political procession and even pelted stones,” reads the complaint from BJP State Office Secretary Parmod Kumar Thakur.
The District Administration granted permission to a political meeting to the Congress party adjacent to the venue of a political meeting of the BJP at Kaza under pressure from the state government in violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), he alleged.
That the protest is part of a premeditated plot of Congress and its workers against Kangna Ranaut can be inferred from the fact that Congress deliberately sought permission for its rally and political meeting close to the place where BJP’s political procession and meeting was already scheduled, he claimed.
During the protest, black flags were shown to the BJP procession amid slogans against Kangna Ranaut, he added.
Demanding immediate transfer of the polling official from Lahaul and Spiti, Thakur said prima facie the permission given to both the parties at the same location and time is a big lapse on the part of the election commission.
“It is unacceptable that the political candidates and leaders, who play a vital role in shaping our democracy, are subjected to such brazen intimidation and violence. The right to engage in peaceful political activities must be safeguarded at all costs, and any attempts to undermine this fundamental right must be met with swift and decisive action,” he said.
He urged the ECI to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, identify the Congress activists responsible for orchestrating the attack, and ensure strict action against them as per the law.
The measures must be put in place to enhance the security protocol for political events to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents in the future, he demanded.