Munish Sood
Mandi
BJP MP from Mandi and actor Kangana Ranaut on Monday reignited a political controversy after posting a strongly worded message on Facebook and releasing a video before leaving for Parliament, asserting that every Indian has an equal constitutional right to choose an ideology and questioning what she described as the “double standards” applied to those who openly identify with the RSS and the BJP.
Saying she was running late for Parliament but felt the issue could not wait, Ranaut argued that if individuals are free to adopt any religion, ideology or belief system of their choice, the same constitutional protection must extend to those who choose to embrace Hindutva.
“If people are free to adopt any ideology, I too have the right to say that I like the ideology of the RSS and the BJP. I want to be an awakened Hindu. If others are free to convert or choose any belief, why can’t I? Why am I branded a ‘Sanghi’ simply for exercising my constitutional right?” Ranaut said in her video message.
The BJP MP also launched a sharp attack on what she called ideological hypocrisy in public discourse. Without naming anyone directly, she appeared to refer to actor Rakhi Sawant while alleging that several Hindu women in the entertainment industry undergo a dramatic ideological transformation after coming into contact with “Islamists” through friendship, relationships or marriage.
Ranaut claimed that while such ideological shifts are widely accepted in the name of personal liberty, women who choose to identify with Hindu nationalist organisations or publicly endorse the RSS and the BJP are often ridiculed, labelled and subjected to disproportionate scrutiny.
Emphasising that the Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and expression to every citizen, she said the principle should apply uniformly, irrespective of the ideology an individual chooses to follow. According to Ranaut, a Hindu woman who decides to adopt what she described as a more conscious and culturally rooted Hindu identity should be accorded the same respect as anyone else exercising the freedom to change beliefs.
Her latest remarks have triggered fresh political debate on social media, with supporters hailing them as a defence of ideological equality, while critics are expected to question both her comments on religious identity and her reference to “Islamists.” The statement is likely to intensify the ongoing national discourse on freedom of belief, political identity and the limits of public expression.
No immediate response was available from the individuals or groups indirectly referred to by Ranaut at the time this report was filed.
