Vikramaditya, Kangana trade charges over black flag protest against her

Mandi/Shimla: Trading barbs over black flags shown to the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi Kangana Ranaut in Lahaul and Spiti's Kaza two days back, the Congress' Vikramaditya Singh targeted the actor Wednesday over her remark against the Dalai Lama from April last year.

"People of the tribal area worship Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama as their God and if someone passes any remarks against their God, they will surely not like it and protest," Singh, who contesting the election against Ranaut, said in Mandi in response to a question.

Hitting back at Singh, Ranaut alleged that the Congress was behind the protest against her. The Congress has stooped to hooliganism and the Kaza incident would prove to be the last nail in its coffin and contribute to her winning margin, the BJP candidate added.

"I feel sad to see such hooliganism which reflects the Congress' character... people have seen the true face of the Congress, which is indulging in violence and hooliganism," she told media persons in Lahaul and Spiti's Udaipur.

Singh, however, said his party had nothing to do with the incident and accused the BJP of blaming the Congress as it was losing the elections.

They were referring to black flags being shown to Ranaut by local people and Congress workers in Kaza on Monday. The Congress workers raised anti-Kangana slogans -- "Kangana, go back, Kangana Vangana nahi chalegi", apparently enraged over her remarks on the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Ranaut had in April last year tweeted a meme featuring the Dalai Lama that said, "The Dalai Lama receives a warm welcome at the White House". The photoshopped picture in the tweet showed the Dalai Lama sticking his tongue out with US President Joe Biden with a comment - Both of them have the same illness, definitely, they could be friends.

Following this, a group of Buddhists staged a dharna outside her office in Mumbai. Ranaut later apologised, saying she did not mean to hurt anyone and that it was a harmless joke about Biden being friends with the Dalai Lama.

After Ranaut faced the protest in Kaza on Monday, the Himachal Pradesh BJP filed a complaint with the state chief electoral officer. The party alleged that stones were pelted at Ranaut's carcade and a party worker was injured.

It also demanded the transfer of election officials and an investigation into the incident as both the BJP and the Congress were given permission to hold rallies adjacent to each other.

However, Lahaul and Spiti SP Mayank Chowdhary told PTI that workers of both the BJP and the ruling Congress came face to face but there was no clash and no person was injured. However, one worker sprained his leg, he added.

Bhishan Shashni, the Congress' election coordinator for Lahaul and Spiti, claimed that his party workers were peacefully protesting but a large number of local people joined the protest as they were hurt by Ranaut's remark.

Listing his priorities for the Mandi parliamentary constituency, Vikramaditya Singh, the son of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and Himachal Congress chief Pratibha Singh, said his focus would be on bringing the municipal corporation of Mandi under the Smart City project and the construction of the Bhubhu Jot and Jalori Jot tunnels and the Kullu Medical College.

Ranaut said Himachal Pradesh is beautiful but connectivity is an issue and tourism promotion, generating self-employment avenues and increasing the remuneration for locals would be her priority.