Kumar Vishwas’ ‘Ramayana’ swipe at Shatrughan, Sonakshi Sinha sparks row

Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 23 (ANI): Poet Kumar Vishwas has sparked a fresh controversy with remarks that many see as a veiled jibe at actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha and his daughter, actress Sonakshi Sinha.
Speaking at a poetry event in Meerut, Vishwas, without taking names, said, "Apne bachhon ko Sita Ji ki behnon aur Bhagwan Ram ke bhaiyon ke naam yaad karaiye. Ek sanket de raha hoon, jo samajh jayein unki taliyan uthtein. Apne bachhon ko Ramayan padhwayi aur Geeta sunwayi. Anya tha aisa na ho ki aapke ghar ka naam to 'Ramayan' ho aur aapke ghar ki Shree Lakshmi ko koi aur uthakar le jaye."
For context, Shatrughan Sinha's house is named "Ramayana" while his daughter Sonakshi got married to Zaheer Iqbal on June 23 this year.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate strongly criticized Vishwas, calling his remarks "cheap" and "lewd." In a lengthy X post, she slammed the poet for making derogatory comments about women to earn applause.
"If you have a daughter at home, would you make cheap comments about someone else's daughter to earn applause? Just think about how low you've stooped," she wrote in Hindi.
"Kumar Vishwas Ji, not only did you make a disgusting remark about Sonakshi Sinha's interfaith marriage, but you also exposed your true feelings about women. Your words 'Otherwise someone else will take your Lakshmi from your house'--is a girl just an object that can be taken away? How long will people like you continue to see a woman as the property of her father and then her husband?" she added.
"The foundation of marriage and companionship is equality, mutual trust, and love. No one is taken away like that, and in 2024 India, you are questioning someone's upbringing just because they chose to marry on their own? Doesn't a girl have the right to marry whoever she wants? Will self-proclaimed guardians of religion decide who a girl will marry, what she eats, what she wears, or who she loves? Questions about upbringing should not even arise when your own bouncers beat up an esteemed doctor. This is your fault if your staff behaves like this under your watch," she further said.
https://x.com/SupriyaShrinate/status/1870882970032099334
This isn't the first time that the 'Lootera' actress has faced criticism. Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna had criticized Sonakshi for not answering a question about the Ramayana on a show. Sonakshi had recently responded to Khanna, reminding him of the importance of forgiveness as taught in the 'Ramayana'.
"Dear Sir, Mukesh Khanna ji ...I recently read a statement you made saying that it's my father's fault I did not answer a question about the Ramayana correctly on a show I attended many, many years back. Firstly let me remind you there were two women on the hot seat that day who did not know the answer to the same question, but you choose to keep taking my name, and only my name, for reasons which are quite obvious," read a part of her Instagram post.
Sonakshi got married to Zaheer Iqbal on June 23 this year in the presence of their loved ones at their residence in Mumbai. It was an intimate wedding. The wedding was followed by a bash at Bastian, a popular Mumbai restaurant and event venue, which saw numerous Bollywood celebrities in attendance. Sonakshi and Zaheer dated for seven years before solemnizing their relationship. (ANI)