'I want to become a Sanghi': Kangana Ranaut says she is now an 'awakened Hindu'

Actor-politician and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has said she has undergone an ideological transformation, describing herself as someone who has moved from being a "moderate Hindu" to an "awakened Hindu", one who wants to embrace the ideology of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Ranaut made the remarks in a video shared on Monday, while she was on her way to Parliament, responding to critics who had circulated old videos of her partying, including a viral clip from a Cannes after-party in 2018.

Addressing the criticism, the Mandi MP acknowledged her past lifestyle and said she believes individuals have the right to change over time.

"I used to party and do everything," Ranaut said, adding that she would not defend her past, adding, "Yes, I was a moderate Hindu."

Questioning why her ideological evolution should be viewed differently, she said, "I want to become a Sanghi. I want to adopt the ideology of the BJP and RSS, to become an awakened Hindu."

Ranaut argued that people should have the freedom to embrace different political and ideological beliefs without being subjected to criticism.

Referring to constitutional rights, she said that if citizens are free to identify with secular or left-leaning ideologies, Hindu women should also be able to choose what she described as becoming "defined and disciplined" Hindus.

She said, "If the Constitution gives people the freedom to become secular or leftists, why can't Hindu daughters have the freedom to become defined and disciplined Hindus?"

She added that such a choice should not be treated as a social taboo or judged by different standards.

Ranaut's latest statements come shortly after another controversy over her comments on westernised young Hindu women. In a series of Instagram Stories posted in response to student protest videos, the actor-politician described the footage as "puke-inducing" and criticised both the protesters' language and appearance.

"Never in my life have I seen so much ugliness in one place. These reels from Gen Z protests are puke-inducing. The way they speak and the kind of language they are using... never in my life have I seen everything in each and every frame so jarring and so crass all at once," she wrote, before adding, "Ewww, who is birthing and raising them?"

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Kangana Ranaut shared in another remark, "Most appalling is the behaviour of young Hindu women who want to imitate the lives of independent career women without earning that freedom. Truly independent women make rebellious choices and bold opinions. They make unconventional career moves, and they take accountability for their actions because they are on their own. They do not do this at the cost of their parents or families."

"I call them Generation Gutter. Some of them have nothing to offer to the system. They are not good at studies. They are so ugly and corrupt that they can't even be homemakers," she wrote.