Indian actor and election candidate denies eating beef
By Sean Seddon
An Indian actor running for election as a candidate for the ruling party has been forced to deny eating beef.
Kangana Ranaut, a vocal supporter of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the claims by her opponents are “shameful” and “baseless rumours”.
The issue of beef consumption is highly sensitive in India as cows are considered sacred by Hindus, the country’s largest religious group.
Some BJP politicians have pushed for bans on cattle slaughter.
Ranaut, an award-winning Bollywood star who has featured in some of India’s highest grossing films, responded after an opposition politician claimed she had previously eaten beef.
Several social media users shared screengrabs of what they said were old posts from Ranaut’s account as supposed proof of that claim.
The allegation is potentially damaging for the actor, who is seeking to make her formal entrance into politics in the coming weeks as a BJP candidate in northern Himachal Pradesh state.
