Kangana in legal trouble from Sikh body for her Farmers' tweet; Singers rally behind Diljit Dosanjh
Mumbai, Dec 4: It was Kangana Ranaut versus not just Diljit Dosanjh but several other Punjabi artistes as well as the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee on Friday with the actor's comments against an elderly participant in farmers' protest leading to a bitter war of words and demands for an apology.
Ranaut, who made headlines with her ugly spat with Dosanjh on Twitter, was served a legal notice on Friday by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee which is seeking an unconditional apology from the actor.
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee President Maninder Sirsa said Ranaut's tweets tried to portray farmers protest as "anti-national" and were derogatory against the aged mother of a farmer.
This is the second legal notice against the actor, who has already been served a legal notice by a lawyer from Punjab's Zirakpur town on December 2 over her tweet.
Prominent singers and artistes from Punjab, including Mika Singh, Ammy Virk and Jazzy B, meanwhile, have also criticised Ranaut while backing Dosanjh for his war of words with Ranaut.
Dosanjh had taken Ranaut to task for misidentifying the woman farmer as Bilkis Bano, a septuagenarian who had attracted international attention for her participation in the anti-CAA protests earlier this year at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh neighbourhood. He had shared a BBC interview that identified the woman farmer as Mahinder Kaur.
Ranaut had shared a tweet on November 27, alleging that the ''Shaheen Bagh dadi'' also joined the farmers' agitation over the new laws at various border points of the national capital.
She retweeted the post with pictures of two elderly women, including Bilkis Bano, and wrote that the "same Dadi" who featured in Time Magazine was "available in 100 rupees", a comment that has particularly irked the members of the Punjabi community.
The actor had reportedly deleted the tweet when Twitter users had pointed out about her mistake but it had already sparked a major controversy.
Singer Mika Singh said he regrets supporting Ranaut when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) undertook demolition of the illegal alterations at the actor's Bandra bungalow in September.
The "Singh is King" singer said Ranaut should apologise for her remarks against an elderly Punjabi woman.
"I used to have immense respect for @KanganaTeam, I even tweeted in support when her office was demolished. I now think I was wrong, Kangana being a woman you should show the old lady some respect. If you have any etiquette then apologise. Shame on you," Singh tweeted.
I used to have immense respect for @KanganaTeam, I even tweeted in support when her office was demolished. I now think I was wrong, Kangana being a woman you should show the old lady some respect. If you have any ettiquete then apologise. Shame on you.. pic.twitter.com/FqKzE4mLjp
— King Mika Singh (@MikaSingh) December 3, 2020
Singer Jaswinder Singh Bains, popularly known by his stage name Jazzy B, also criticised Ranaut for her remarks.
"She is just dumb. Goddi media di chamchi ohnu pata ni punjabia di battery charge reh di ah. (She's a puppet of the sold media, who isn't aware that Punjabis are always charged). Shame on you @KanganaTeam," the singer tweeted.
She is just dumb? goddi media di chamchi ohnu pata ni punjabia di battery charge reh di ah ⭐️ shame on you @KanganaTeam https://t.co/9l1GKjo2Jd
— Jazzy B (@jazzyb) December 3, 2020
Another singer Jaswinder Singh Dhami, known by his stage name Jaz Dhami, called Ranaut an "attention seeker", saying it was not civil of the actor to insult a citizen protesting for her rights.
"I used to have respect for @KanganaTeam for the way she came out and spoke up. But now I realise you're just a deeply narrow-minded, attention seeking puppet!"
I used to have respect for @KanganaTeam for the way she came out and spoke up. But now I realize you're just a deeply narrowminded, attention seeking puppet! You had some BULSHIT wall taken down and was crying because it hit your pocket and hurt your ego.
— JAZ DHAMI (@THEJAZDHAMI) December 3, 2020
Virk took to Twitter and shared a funny, edited video, with visuals of Ranaut and Dosanjh's films, where the "Queen" star is shown to regret fighting with the Punjabi actor.
@diljitdosanjh ??? pic.twitter.com/auEmHonntE
— Ammy Virk (@AmmyVirk) December 3, 2020
Ranaut had called Dosanjh filmmaker Karan Johar's "pet", a bootlicker and asked if he wasn't ashamed of defending somebody who instigated the Delhi riots earlier this year.
She also said her comments were directed towards Bilkis Bano and not Mahinder Kaur, someone she said she didn't even know.
Not one to back down, Dosanjh, who shot to national fame with the 2016 drug drama "Udta Punjab", in turn asked if she was a sycophant of everyone she has worked with. "Then the list will be long," he said.
The "Udta Punjab" actor also found support with Bollywood celebrities, who lauded him for his conduct.
"Lipstick Under My Burkha" director Alankrita Shrivastava said Dosanjh "won" her heart.
"Thank you @diljitdosanjh You give me hope. Dil jeet litta," Shrivastava tweeted.
Thank you @diljitdosanjh You give me hope. Dil jeet litta!
— Alankrita Shrivastava (@alankrita601) December 3, 2020
Comedian Vir Das took to Twitter and wrote, "Hey @diljitdosanjh just wanted to say you rock. That's all."
Actor Richa Chadha tweeted that no one should fight with a Punjabi.
"Seriously, tussi saareyan nu public interest vichon daas ne aa, punjabiyan naal lado ni please (Seriously, I say this in public interest, please do not fight with a Punjabi)," her tweet read.
Hey @diljitdosanjh just wanted to say you rock. That's all. ?
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) December 4, 2020
Seriously, tussi saareyan nu public interest vichon daas ne aa , pubjabiyan naal lado ni plz
— TheRichaChadha (@RichaChadha) December 3, 2020
Actors Swara Bhasker and Taapsee Pannu also spoke up on the issue.
Dosanjh's replies in Punjabi gave way to several memes, and jokes on social media. Many social media users also requested friends to translate his witty comebacks.
Comedian Saloni Gaur uploaded a sketch, mimicking Ranaut's struggle to understand Punjabi, which was then shared by Dosanjh on his page.
Ranaut later tweeted she supports farmers and has been vocal about their "exploitation and problems" and was certain that the government will address their doubts.
Thousands of farmers have gathered at Delhi's gateways to demand a repeal of the Centre's three new farm laws.
The protesting farmers are worried the new laws will eliminate the safety cushion of a Minimum Support Price (MSP) and procurement system, while rendering ineffective the mandi system that ensures earnings for various stakeholders in the farm sector.
The farmers, who have called for a Bharat Bandh on Tuesday, fear the new farm laws will dismantle the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporates.
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Kerala FM calls for unity among communities, refers to US tariffs in Budget speech
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The 2026-27 budget speech by Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal saw a call for "unity" among the various communities and highlighted global issues like the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump and the incarceration of the Venezuelan President by him.
Balagopal said that "unity of Keralites" was the greatest treasure and the guarantee for the future growth and prosperity of the state.
It will help to attract foreign tourists, entrepreneurs and capital to our state, he said.
Balagopal said that the government has earmarked Rs 10 crore for a project to analytically record the history of the religious and cultural fraternity of Kerala so that people of "other lands" may also learn about it.
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It will also help to combat against the "highly venomous communal snakes" trying to destroy the unity of Kerala, he said.
"They have tried many times to poison the serenity of life in Kerala. We have so far been able to combat these poisonous elements by creating a defence of love and unity.
"But we have to realise that these venomous snakes spewing religious nationalism are not the ones who quickly admit defeat and retreat. We must see that they are active with new strategies to communally divide, polarise and subjugate the Keralites. The new strategy preached by ‘election experts’ is to stigmatise those who create the defence of public unity against communalism," Balagopal said.
He said that it was by recognising and respecting various religions and cultures that Kerala reached where it is now.
"Even in the legend of Lord Ayyappa and Vavar, there are yarns of religious harmony laced intricately together. This unity and fraternity may be astonishing to the people of many other lands.
"We have to take forward this historic fraternity of Kerala with more strength and spirit. History of the religious and cultural fraternity of Kerala has to be recorded analytically. The government intends to introduce a project for this, an amount of Rs 10 crore is earmarked for it."
Balagopal also referred to the tariff's imposed by Trump and said that his policies have created severe uncertainties in world trade and commerce.
"There is no doubt that this has adversely affected India and Kerala as well. It has also severely affected the export of our marine products," he said.
The minister further said that the central government yielding to Trump’s threats have adversely affected the state’s tax revenue.
"The details of the new free-trade agreement signed by India and the European economic community have not been revealed completely. However, there is a strong concern that this will have a negative impact on our dairy farmers and industries. In order to deal with the situation, we need to be prepared in advance," he said.
Balagopal, referring to the incarceration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US, said the world was "rolling back from the democratic order" and it was quite "apprehensive".
"The incident that the head of a state is being arrested from the President's house by America and incarcerated by violating all international laws was very rare even in the dark eras of colonial rule.
"Such incidents are a warning to us as well. We, the Keralites should unite and move forward for the best interest of the state. We can overcome any crisis if we stand united for the interest of the state. Our history teaches us so. Let us uphold the interest of our state and move forward to the future, together," he said in his budget speech.
