AGRA: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut on Saturday equated the Krishna Janmasthan temple in Mathura to the once "encroached" Ram’s Ayodhya Mandir and hoped that one day UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath would make it possible for devotees to visit it without any restrictions.
In an Instagram post after visiting the Krishna Janmasthan temple on Saturday, Ranaut, who earlier faced widespread criticism for her statements on protesting farmers, said, "Its a very sensitive place with heavy security and no pictures are allowed because of the encroachment of the holy place much like Ram Janambhumi… But that jail where mata Devki and Shri Vasudev ji were kept is partially available to visitors. I am told there are 6 more underground jail rooms which are mentioned in our scriptures but they are not available to us…hopefully soon @myogi_adityanath will make it possible for devotees to visit the entire premises."
Her post, comparing the sacred spots of Ayodhya and Mathura, comes amid statements from senior state BJP leaders about preparations being on for the construction of the Krishan Janambhoomi temple and threats of the Hindu Mahasabha of installing lord Krishna’s idols at Shahi Idgah on Dec 6, the anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid.
Earlier, while talking to media in Vrindavan, Kangana categorically denied that she had offered any apology to farmers after her vehicle was stopped in Punjab’s Rupnagar district by a group of people carrying flags of a farmers' outfit on Friday. "Why should I be apologizing to them," she said while talking to the media during her visit to Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan. She admitted that her car was stopped by some activists of a farmers’ union but claimed that many people supported her stand and allowed her to leave.
In response to a question if she would campaign in favour of the BJP in the 2022 elections, she said, "I will be campaigning for all the candidates who are nationalists, as I don’t belong to any political party in particular."
Kangana further said that her statement against the protesting farmers had hurt only those people who are "not nationalists". "All right thinking people and nationalist/ have supported my stand," she added.
