“Dragging Woman For Personal Attacks”: Actor-Director Pooja Bhatt Against Kanhaiya Kumar’s Attack On PM Modi

Indian filmmaker and actress Pooja Bhatt on Sunday took her official X (formerly Twitter) handle to criticize Congress leader and former JNU activist Kanhaiya Kumar and said that Mr Kumar was purposefully dragging “a woman” to throw personal attacks on the incumbent Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “And why make personal attacks & drag in a woman to make one’s point?”, she said on X.

Ms Bhatt shared a video of Mr Kumar, in which he was addressing a gathering in the poll-bound Rajasthan. In the speech, he attacked Narendra Modi, as the Prime Minister gave “guarantee” to a woman in the past. Mr Kumar also alleged that the Prime Minister married the woman and did “saat phere”, but left her.

‘Saat phere’ is a Hindu wedding ritual where the bride and groom walk around a sacred fire seven times. The rounds represent the seven vows and principles the couple promises each other during the wedding. The bride and groom recite vows with each circuit. During the ritual, they also pray to God for peace, prosperity, wealth, health, and progeny.

Kanhaiya kumar’s argument was that, even Mr Modi did these vows and promises he left the woman, and so how such a men’s guarantees to the nation were reliable. “So, do you think that guarantees given by him will be fulfilled? Never…”, he said in Rajasthan.

“Even as a boy, I defeated my opponents without dishonoring them.”
Nelson Mandela

Why reduce political discourse to this? And why make personal attacks & drag in a woman to make one’s point? Saddening 🙏 https://t.co/CwwsZzKwBq

— Pooja Bhatt (@PoojaB1972) November 19, 2023

Criticising Mr Kumar’s attitude, Ms Bhatt quoted a famous quote by Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa. By stating the quote – “Even as a boy, I defeated my opponents without dishonoring them”- Ms Bhatt raised her confusion on why the political discourses are reducing to “this kind”. “Why reduce political discourse to this? And why make personal attacks & drag in a woman to make one’s point? Saddening”, she noted on X.

Pooja Bhatt is a renowned Indian film director-maker-actress, who is the daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. Ms Bhatt played her first leading role in Mahesh Bhatt”s television film Daddy in 1989. For the film, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

Kanhaiya Kumar is an Indian political activist who served the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Students” Union and leader of the All India Students Federation (AISF). He also served as the National Executive Council member of Communist Party of India (CPI), but joined Indian National Congress (INC) in 2021.