The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): KT Rama Rao, the working president of Bharat Rashtriya Samithi (BRS), took to social media to critique Kangana Ranaut, the BJP’s nominee for the Mandi seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, for her erroneous statement calling Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose “India’s first Prime Minister.” In a post on X, Rao sarcastically questioned the educational backgrounds of BJP leaders who made such historical inaccuracies.
Ranaut’s statement came during a television interview where she questioned the whereabouts of Netaji after India’s independence, implying he was the nation’s first prime minister. This comment sparked reactions across the political spectrum, with Congress leader Supriya Shrinate warning not to underestimate Ranaut’s potential influence within the BJP, given her history of provocative statements.
Previously, Ranaut faced criticism when she claimed that India achieved “real independence” in 2014 with the election of Narendra Modi, a statement that was widely mocked on social media.
Ranaut was officially announced as a BJP candidate on March 24, and she expressed her honor at representing Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi constituency, her birthplace. The election in Himachal Pradesh is scheduled for June 1, where four Lok Sabha seats will be contested in a single phase.
The Mandi constituency has traditionally been a stronghold of royal families, with Congress and BJP alternating victories in recent elections. The seat is currently held by Congress following a by-election triggered by the unfortunate suicide of BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma in 2021. Currently, the BJP holds three of the four Lok Sabha seats in the state.