'What about this?': Congress turns to the past to refute Kangana Ranaut's claims

The Congress party criticised actor Kangana Ranaut for referring to actor Urmila Matondkar, who had previously joined and then left the party, as a "soft porn star." This criticism came shortly after Congress leader Supriya Shrinate clarified an objectionable post regarding Kangana Ranaut on her Instagram account.

Srinivas BV, the president of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), shared a previous video of Kangana Ranaut discussing Urmila Matondkar.  "What was posted from Supriya Ji's account was absolutely derogatory. She has not only deleted it but also clarified and Condemned it in the Strongest Terms." (sic). 

"What about you? Calling Urmila Matondkar a 'soft porn star' on live TV? Have you condemned it?," he tweeted.

In the video, Ranaut could be heard saying, "Urmila Matondkar, she is a soft porn star. I know it's very blatant, but I want to ask you... she is not known for her acting for sure, what is she known for, for doing soft porn, right?"

"If she can get a ticket (for a political party), why won't I get a ticket?," Ranaut said in the video.

Kangana Ranaut's comment calling Urmila Matondkar a "soft porn star" followed Matondkar's criticism of Ranaut for disrespecting veteran actor Jaya Bachchan. In her 2020 speech in Parliament, Bachchan had spoken out against the tarnishing of the entire film industry.

In an interview, Urmila said, "When Kangana was not even born, Jaya ji was in the film industry. We’re talking about a lady here (Jaya Bachchan) who has herself been an icon. Which part of Indian culture tells you to lash out at people like this?"

Urmila Matondkar entered politics as a Congress candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, contesting from the Mumbai North constituency. However, she resigned from the party shortly thereafter. In 2020, Matondkar joined the Shiv Sena party.

A controversy arose on Monday when an offensive post about Kangana Ranaut appeared on Shrinate's Instagram account. In a video message on X, Shrinate explained that the post, now removed, was made by someone who had access to her Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Shrinate also pointed out a parody account that was falsely using her name on X. In response, Kangana Ranaut criticized the Congress leader, urging people to avoid using the challenges faced by sex workers as a form of insult. The post on Shrinate's account featured a picture of Kangana Ranaut in revealing attire, accompanied by a disrespectful caption.

National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma expressed disappointment at seeing a woman using derogatory language against another woman. She stated that the issue had been brought to the attention of the Election Commission.