Actor and Member of Parliament Kangana Ranaut recently found herself at the center of controversy following a remark she made about Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. During an interview with journalist Manak Gupta on News 24, Kangana questioned the legitimacy of Rahul Gandhi’s position as the Leader of Opposition, sparking widespread criticism on social media.
In the interview, Kangana directly asked Gupta, “On what basis did Rahul Gandhi get this upalabdhi (achievement)?” She further pressed, “What has he done to become opposition leader? Can you tell me?” When the journalist responded by noting that Gandhi had secured 99 seats, Kangana appeared dismissive, replying, “If you want to talk like this, then there can be no answer to it.” She continued to question the decision-making within the Congress Party, asking, “Are there no senior leaders in the party who expect or deserve this position?”
The internet quickly reacted to Kangana’s comments, with many criticizing her for what they saw as an unwarranted attack on Gandhi. One social media user shared a clip from the interview on X (formerly Twitter), captioning it, “Most hilarious thing I have seen.” Another commented, “Elect a clown, expect a circus.”
Criticism of Kangana’s own political position also surfaced. One user suggested, “The journalist could have asked her on what basis she got the BJP ticket and why the people of Mandi elected her. What did she do to get the ticket?” Others suggested that Kangana should return to Bollywood, with one tweet reading, “@EktaaRKapoor @anuragkashyap72 @RajkumarHirani @TSeries Guys, can you take her back to Bollywood—Parliament or Country are not appropriate platforms for her to act and spread cringe.”
Some commenters ridiculed her for lacking the direction and scripting she benefits from in her film roles. A user remarked, “Poor girl does not have directors and scriptwriters in real life like in reel life.” Another noted, “This lady is plain hilarious… With her disclosures, it seems the movie has gone for a toss. Such a beautiful opportunity lost.”
Kangana is set to appear in her upcoming film Emergency, a project she has directed. The film, which stars Kangana as former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, also features Anupam Kher, Mahima Chaudhary, and others in key roles. The movie is based on the 1975 Emergency period in India.