BJP lodges complaint against Congress for allegedly defaming Kangana Ranaut

The Himachal Pradesh BJP has lodged a formal complaint against the Congress and the Hamirpur Youth Congress Club for allegedly defaming actor and BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut. The complaint, filed on Sunday, accuses the Congress of portraying Kangana in a negative light by using images from her films and posting derogatory remarks on social media.

In their complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI), with a copy sent to the Himachal chief electoral officer, the BJP alleges that the Congress directed its various wings to tarnish Kangana's character online. Specifically, the Hamirpur Youth Congress Club purportedly utilized a picture of Kangana from her "artistic pursuits" to depict her negatively and made derogatory remarks.

Karan Nanda, the BJP state media in-charge, submitted the complaint, citing repeated instances of what they deem as serious violations of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860; Representation of People Act (RPA), 1951; and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by Congress leaders. According to the BJP, these instances also potentially constitute offences under the relevant sections of the IPC and Information Technology Act, 2000, with the remarks possibly falling within the definition of "corrupt practice".