Kangana shown black flags in Spiti over old meme targeting Dalai Lama

Locals raise ‘go back’ slogans as her helicopter lands in Kaza

DHARAMSHALA: BJP candidate from Mandi parliamentary constituency Kangana Ranaut was shown black flags upon her arrival in Kaza in remote Spiti Valley of Lahaul-Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh on Monday (May 20, 2024) over an old social media post that allegedly insulted Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

Before Kangana’s helicopter could land in Kaza, a substantial number of locals, including workers from the rival Congress, raised “Go back” slogans against Kangana and showed her black flags.

In 2023, Kangana courted controversy by sharing on social media a meme featuring the Dalai Lama and US President Joe Biden. The meme, depicting the Dalai Lama sticking his tongue out alongside Biden, had sparked backlash and protests outside Kangana’s Mumbai office. In response, the actor had defended her post as a “harmless joke”, but also clarified her respect for the Dalai Lama and Buddhism.

Kangana had tweeted the meme that featured Dalai Lama and read, ‘The Dalai Lama receives a warm welcome at the White house’. The picture in the tweet showed Dalai Lama sticking his tongue out with Joe Biden photoshopped in front of him. Sharing the post, the actor wrote, “Hmmm dono ko same bimari hai, definitely dono ki dosti ho sakti hai (We both suffer from the same illness; can be friends for sure).”

The actress had recently sought blessings from the Tibetan spiritual leader during her visit to McLeodganj in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala. The Mandi Lok Sabha constituency had thousands of Buddhist voters, particularly in Lahaul-Spiti and Manali, which appears to have spurred Kangana’s visit to the abode of the revered leader, a Congress leader had said then while targeting the actor.

Before Kangana’s post, the Dalai Lama himself was caught in a controversy when a video of the spiritual leader kissing a child on the lips went viral. The incident, which occurred at a public gathering in Dharamshala, drew mixed reactions online. Following the criticism, the Dalai Lama apologised for the gesture, which also ignited a wave of memes on the internet.