‘The Centre giving Y-grade security to a person who insults Mumbai and Maharashtra is a very surprising and sad decision,’ said Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh
Bengaluru: After the members from the ruling coalition in Maharashtra went on an overdrive threatening and intimidating actress Kangana Ranaut for her views on Mumbai, the Centre has decided to give her Y-category security as she is slated to visit Mumbai on September 9.
In fact, it should have been the Maharashtra government that should have welcomed her, in spite of the differences.
Now, as the Centre steps in, home minister Anil Deshmukh has questioned it on the decision.
He said, "The Centre giving Y-grade security to a person who insults Mumbai and Maharashtra is a very surprising and sad decision. Maharashtra does not belong to NCP, Shiv Sena or Congress alone. It belongs to BJP and the people of the state as well. If a person tries to insult Maharashtra, people belonging to all parties should condemn the remark."
The argy-bargies between the actress and these politicians began when the Mumbai police allegedly liked a post exhorting people to shame Kangana, among others, publicly.
It is then that she compared this attitude of Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. When Sanjay Raut of the Shiva Sena took offence to this and asked Kangana not to visit Mumbai, she exclaimed that Mumbai had become Taliban from Pok in a matter of just one day.
As this unfolded, the home minister sabre-rattled that charges would be pressed against her for defaming Mumba. But an unfazed Kangana reiterated that she would be visiting Mumbai on September 9.
With so much of threat perception, the Centre has allowed Y-security for her.
And while we write this, there were reports that her office in Mumbai was raided by BMC officials. She has also put out a tweet in this regard.
However, one only wonders as to how chauvinism and jingoism can curtail the freedom of movement, as enshrined in the Constitution.
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