‘No time for Kannadigas’: Karnataka Congress MLA to 'furnish proof' of Rashmika Mandanna declining film event invite

Congress MLA Ravikumar Gowda Ganiga shared that he had proof that Rashmika' team had declined an invitation to the International Film Festival in Bengaluru

Actress Rashmika Mandanna, who recently starred in the film ‘Chhaava’, was caught in a controversy after Karnataka Congress MLA Ravikumar Gowda Ganiga alleged that she had declined an invitation to a film festival as she “did not have time for Kannadigas".

Karnataka Congress MLA Ravikumar Gowda claimed that he had proof that actress Rashmika Mandanna's team had declined an invitation to a film festival in the state (Sunil Khandare/ANI)

On Tuesday, Congress leader Ravikumar Gowda Ganiga told reporters that he had proof that the actress' team had refused an invitation from their government to attend the International Film Festival in Bengaluru.

“It is not Rashmika's statement but Rashmika's team's statement. We will release the document (proof) publicly that we had invited Rashmika to the film festival (Bengaluru Film Festival) but she refused,” news agency ANI quoted Gowda.

The MLA also claimed that as a Kannadiga herself, Rashmika did not have time for her own community and questioned why she could not make time for her own people.

Ravikumar Gowda Ganiga had also called for the actress to be “taught a lesson” earlier, after she declined the invitation. Clarifying his remarks, he stated that he was not engaging in "Gundagiri" or "Rowdyism".

The Congress leader added, “We told her that Kannadiga is your motherland and Karnataka is the base of your career and you should respect your motherland. Now, she is working in Bollywood, but she should not forget her roots. I am proud of Karnataka and I don't need any lessons from Rajeev Chandrasekhar. When I said we should teach her a lesson, I did not mean 'Gundagiri,' I am not calling for rowdyism.”

Rashmika Mandanna has not responded to the MLA's claims yet.