Bollywood actress and Mandi BJP MP Kangana Ranaut came out in support of YouTuber Ajeet Bharti after the Karnataka Congress filed an FIR against him for claiming that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intends to replace the Ram Temple in Ayodhya with the Babri Masjid.
"Aap desi Johnny Depp ho aapko kuch nahi hone denge (You are local Johnny Depp, won't let anything happen to you)," Kangana Ranaut said in a post on X.
Her response came after Bharti's post on X where he said: "It was a bit of a moe-moe moment for me that yesterday I had written that BJP never stood by me and today I got calls from both HMO and PMO that the issue is in their knowledge and every activity is being monitored."
"Apart from this, some ministers and senior officials also called. It would be better if this FIR-baazi stops, if it continues then no one is going to stop it. I have nothing to say except gratitude. Even those with whom I have disagreements wrote on Twitter. Apart from this...everyone wrote for me and raised their voice. Thanks to everyone," he added in the post.
The complaint was lodged by BK Bopanna, the legal cell secretary of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). His complaint cited a video posted by Bharti on X on June 13.
The FIR stated that Bharti has been booked under Sections 153A and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code, which pertain to promoting enmity between different groups and making statements that create or promote enmity, hatred, or ill-will between classes, respectively.
The written complaint describes Bharti's assertion as "a blatant lie and a gross misrepresentation of Rahul Gandhi’s statements," emphasising that "Rahul Gandhi has never made any such statement in any of his speeches."
It further contended that by spreading these baseless and incendiary allegations, Bharti is "sowing seeds of discord and enmity among different religious communities, thereby disturbing the peace and harmony of our society".
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has expressed his support for Bharti on X, stating: "All of us are not only with you, but we will do everything we can legally, politically, and in many other ways, which I will not talk about here."
Poonawalla flayed Congress, warning of "very real costs" if the party continues what he termed as "madness". He affirmed that the BJP would not abandon Bharti despite disagreements on some views, hinting at potential repercussions for Congress supporters and activists.
He cautioned that everyone has a potentially actionable statement or tweet, implying that legal scrutiny could extend to others as well.
