Slamming BJP MP Kangana Ranaut over her remarks on farmers' protests, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said the words were "deliberate" and will be used as a "shield" so that the top leadership of the saffron party is not blamed for its imminent defeat in the Haryana Assembly polls.
"This is the BJP's script, which is being read out by an actress as dialogue on the instructions of a top director. When an ordinary politician understands that using abusive language about the farmers' movement in a farmers' state will harm their prospects, the BJP's Chanakya does not understand this?" Mr Yadav said in a post in Hindi on X.
"The real truth of this episode is that such a thing must have been said deliberately so that the statement of the actress can be cited as the reason for the defeat that has already been decided in Haryana and the top leadership is not blamed for it. This is not a statement but a 'word-shield' to protect someone," he added.
Ms Ranaut, the member of Parliament from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, posted a clip on X of her interview with Hindi daily "Dainik Bhaskar", in which she suggested that a "Bangladesh-like situation" could have erupted in India during the farmers' protests against three contentious farm laws that have since been repealed but for the country's strong leadership. She then alleged that bodies were hanging and rapes were taking place during the protests.
With Haryana going to polls on October 1, the opposition has targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue.
The BJP denounced Ranaut on Monday for her disparaging remarks on the farmers' agitation, as it expressed disagreement with her views and made it clear that she is not authorised to comment on the party's policy matters.
Thousands of farmers from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and other places had held an agitation at Delhi's borders for several months against the now-repealed farm laws.
