Bollywood actor and BJP's candidate for Mandi Lok Sabha seat Kangana Ranaut on Sunday accused the Congress of insulting women and claimed that no leader of the saffron party ever indulged in such an act.
She claimed the Congress did not give due respect to the architect of the Indian constitution B R Ambedkar and patriots like Subhash Chandra Bose, V D Savarkar and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, PTI reported.
Meanwhile, her opponent and Congress candidate in Mandi Vikramaditya Singh accused the BJP of spreading falsehood and alleged that Ranaut was being tutored and that she was speaking without paying any attention to facts.
"Using indecent language and levelling false allegations would not win the hearts of the people," Singh, who is also the PWD minister of Himachal Pradesh said. He also sought the BJP candidate's vision for the Mandi constituency.
Addressing election rallies in Seraj and Banjar assembly segments, Ranaut said, "Their (Congress leaders') mentality is such that they insult me, (BJP MP) Hema Malini, Jayaprada and other women irrespective of their age or marital status. We wonder how low they can stoop."
The remark comes weeks after a controversial comment was posted on social media platforms from Congress leader Shrinate's accounts against Ranaut.
Following a row, Shrinate removed the controversial remarks from all her social accounts, claiming that those were not posted by her but by someone else who had access to her accounts. The Election Commission also censured Shrinate for derogatory remarks against the dignity of women.
Ranaut claimed no BJP leader ever used such words for women and listed various initiatives of the Narendra Modi government for women's welfare.
She also accused Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of not fulfilling his poll promises.
After paying tributes to Ambedkar on his birth anniversary, Ranaut said he had immense contribution towards the eradication of social evils but the Congress did not give due respect to him and other great leaders like Subhash Chandra Bose, V D Savarkar and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
On the contrary, Prime Minister Modi described all places associated with Ambedkar as pilgrimage sites, replaced the statue of a British monarch at the famed canopy of India Gate in Delhi with that of Subhash Chandra Bose and also honoured Sardar Patel by installing the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, she said.
Meanwhile, Vikramaditya Singh alleged that the BJP was spreading falsehood that the Congress is an "anti-Hindu party" and reiterated that Himachal Pradesh was the first state to bring an anti-conversion law during the tenure of then chief minister Virbhadra Singh, built Dev Sadan in Mandi and Kullu and started the system of giving "nazrana" to temples in Kullu.