'Must be taught lesson': Congress MLA says Rashmika Mandanna insulted Kannada; Union minister slams ‘goon culture’

NEW DELHI: Karnataka Congress MLA Ravikumar Gowda Ganiga sparked controversy on Monday by saying that actress Rashmika Mandanna should be “taught a lesson” for allegedly disregarding Kannada.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Gowda criticised Rashmika for not attending the International Film Festival last year despite being multiple invitations. “Rashmika, who started her career with the Kannada film Kirik Party, refused to attend the festival. She said she has her house in Hyderabad and doesn’t know where Karnataka is. One of our legislators visited her house 10-12 times to invite her, but she refused and disregarded Kannada, despite growing up in this industry. Shouldn’t we teach her a lesson?” the Congress MLA said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) jumped quickly to condemn Gowda’s comments, calling them unconstitutional. Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar took to X, criticising the Congress MLA and calling his statement an example of “Congress goon culture.”

"You can never separate goon from a Rahul Congressman. This pompous Karnataka MLA from Rahul Gandhi’s party wants to 'teach a lesson' to an actress. Every citizen, including actresses, has rights. If he wants a lesson in the Constitution, I’d be happy to teach him for free anytime, anywhere," Chandrasekhar wrote, tagging Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and chief minister Siddaramaiah.


Backlash over Rashmika’s Hyderabad comment
Actress Rashmika Mandanna referred Hyderabad as her home during a recent event, which sparked outrage among Kannada groups. Certain pro-Kannada organisations accused her of disrespecting the Kannada film industry, despite beginning her career in Karnataka.

Karnataka Rakshana Vedike president TA Narayan Gowda also weighed in, warning Rashmika over her remarks. Kannada activists have since launched a campaign against the actress, demanding she acknowledge her roots in Kannada cinema.