It's her right to stand by people who want India's destruction: Smriti Irani on Deepika's JNU visit

In another attack on actress Deepika Padukone over her visit to Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Union Minister Smriti Irani launched on Friday said that she must have known that she was standing with people who wanted the destruction of India.

"I would rather know what here political affiliation is rather than not know. I think that anybody who has read the news knew where they were going to stand, (they) knew that you're going to stand with people who wantd the destruction of India," she said while addressing an event in Chennai.

She further added that "it's her right to stand next to people who say Bharat tere tukde honge."

"I would rather know what her (Deepika Padukone's) political affiliation is than not know... I can't deny her that right that she will stand next to people who will beat up other girls who don't see eye-to-eye ideologically in private parts. That's her freedom (sic)," Irani said.

The Union Minister also stated that "she made her political affiliation known in 2011 that she supports the Congress party."

Earlier this week, Deepika visited the JNU campus to stand in solidarity with the students, where many were injured in a horrific rampage carried out by masked goons on January 5.

The visit caused a firestorm and evoked mixed reactions from social media with several right-wing groups and some BJP leaders calling for a boycott of her new film 'Chhapaak' which released today.