JNU violence not a national issue, college gang wars are quite normal in India: Kangana Ranaut

Students who are the fabric of our society should be sent to the Army to serve for at least one to two years and it should be made mandatory, Kangana Ranaut also said
Kangana Ranaut at the Think Edu 2020 (Pic: Express)
Kangana Ranaut at the Think Edu 2020 (Pic: Express)

Referring to the recent attacks on students at Jawaharlal Nehru University on January 5, where it was alleged that the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad beat them up with lathis, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut said that these gang wars in colleges are created by "highly volatile people" and so she feels that it is not worthy of becoming a national issue. And the ones creating violence should be taken into police custody and given 'chaar chaar jhappad' (four tight slaps).

"Gang wars in colleges are so common that when we were in college in Chandigarh, next to our campus there was a boys' hostel. The boys used to fight, chase down other boys and sometimes even murder them openly. The situation is still the same. In the JNU violence, both sides have been injured. These gang wars are carried out by highly volatile people, should this be a national issue really? I don't think so. These gundas (hooligans) are found in every classroom, union, every locality, please don't make it a national issue," Kangana said while speaking at the ThinkEdu Conclave 2020 on Thursday. The education conclave is being held at Chennai by The New Indian Express.

She went on to add that students should be made more politically aware. "We are one of the most corrupt nations in the world. And that is not okay. Students who are the fabric of our society should be sent to the Army to serve for at least one to two years and it should be made mandatory. Corruption is running through their veins. This is the need of the hour, we need to clean our system, establish moral values so that we can thrive as a country," she explained.

Commenting on the ongoing student protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Kangana said, "You have to take a stand, choose between national and personal interests. Decide if the protest is selfish or for everyone?" On being asked if these protesting students are the future of India, she said that the "ones who are taking advantage of the vulnerable situation and creating violence are hopefully not our future. I genuinely feel we are still in the hangover of the pre-independence era — attacking our security forces, trying to shut the country down, causing the government economic losses. It was a cool thing to do with a foreign government when it was not elected by you. But how is that relevant today? We are going to be a part of democracy, we need to understand that. If we attack our own security forces like the police, then where are we heading as a nation?"

Kangana Ranaut, Bollywood Actor 

Calling the violence during protests 'gunda gardi' (hooliganism), she said, "You cannot be carrying the 'Free Kashmir', 'Babri' placards for the CAA protests randomly. I don't yet see any valid opinion coming from the opposition. If you are showing compassion to a certain section of the society and fighting for inclusiveness, this doesn't make sense, definitely. There are loopholes in the education system and a huge disconnect the youth have with the nation, which is worrying. We have to figure out where we are going wrong, the indifference that we 'don't want to do this, do that'. What do you want to do then? There are people who support the CAA, they might be small in number in the same university but this has spiralled down into gang wars. People who come from economically backward classes have only come to study, get jobs and want nothing to do with the CAA."

Speaking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and what qualities she admires in him, she said, "He's here for his own hard work. People who have acquired a place with their own work and merit, who are we to say that he is not deserving? If he's been chosen by 130 billion people through a democratic process and elected for five years, we should give him a chance. I would not want to disrupt the country with another election. Rather, in these five years, you do what you can then we can decide if you are good for us or not." When asked about her plans of getting into politics, she said it would be easier for her than acting. "Nepotism comes into play if I have to get into it, my great grandfather was an MLA for 15 years, my father gets free tickets. They are ardent followers of the Congress. I, somehow have different ideologies." She said that she has been getting offers from both sides of the table but hasn't thought about it seriously.

Moving on to a lighter note at the end of her talk, Kangana also spoke about her upcoming movie Panga. "There's an art in politics and politics in art," said Kaveree Bamzai, a senior journalist, who was chairing the session, while asking the movie's Director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari about the actor's upcoming movie. "The story needs to be told. 45 per cent of women have an MBA degree now but despite that, they leave their jobs as soon as they become a mother. There's this guilty conscious working and at the same time, there's this difficult decision of who wants to take care of the kid at home. The movie is also about second chances," said the director.


Speaking about her relationship with her sister and manager Rangoli Chandel, Kangana said that Rangoli is quite brave for making herself available to argue with trolls on the net. "A Twitter feed can be compared to a 'dhol' and not a flute. If you sound like a flute, you will be lost in that noise, but Rangoli is still the most polite person you will ever find. That I feel is more of a strategy to get attention," she said with a chuckle, adding that Rangoli generally discusses what they write on Kangana's official account.

Kangana also spoke about her new film based on Jayalalithaa's life. "Getting into the character and I am finding it more interesting and challenging. Amma's emotional struggle and journey are not known to many, it's very exciting for me to explore. Her dynamics with people around her is extremely inspiring. The fact that a woman is at the centre of the volatile political environment of a state but she emerges a revolutionary leader is by far the most emotionally astounding world I have been in," she concluded.

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