Actor-politician Kangana Ranaut deleted a provocative tweet targeting US President Donald Trump on Thursday after receiving a directive from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda.
In the tweet, Ranaut, who is the Member of Parliament from Mandi, caustically responded to Trump’s recent remarks opposing ’s expansion in India. Ranaut, a vocal supporter of Prime Minister , had in a now-deleted tweet speculated about Trump’s alleged “love loss” toward India, suggesting the US leader was jealous of Modi’s global popularity. “Is this jealousy or diplomatic insecurity?” she asked in the now-deleted tweet, which included a now-familiar Ranaut flourish: calling Modi the “father of all alpha males” in Hindi.
The tweet came in response to Trump’s statement that he had asked Apple CEO Tim Cook not to manufacture in India unless the output served India’s domestic market. Trump cited high tariffs and criticised Apple’s India plans during a recent business leaders’ event.
Within hours, Ranaut issued a retraction, revealing in another post that she was asked to delete the tweet by chief Nadda. “I regret posting that very personal opinion of mine,” she wrote. “As per instructions, I immediately deleted it from Instagram as well.”
Respected national president Shri ji called and asked me to delete the tweet I had posted regarding Trump asking Apple CEO Tim Cook not to manufacture in India.
I regret posting that very personal opinion of mine, as per instructions I immediately deleted it from…
— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam)
Critics such as YouTuber and political commentator Dhruv Rathee were quick to add to the conversation. “Why do you think he asked you to do that?” he posted, tagging Ranaut. “Is your party BJP afraid of ?”
Why do you think he asked you to do that?
Is your party BJP afraid of Donald Trump?
— Dhruv Rathee (@dhruv_rathee)
Ranaut’s tweet and its abrupt deletion hint at the delicacy of India’s balancing act: projecting strength at home while preserving strategic partnerships abroad.
After a meeting between business leaders from the US and Qatar, Trump said, “I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday. I said, ‘Tim you’re my friend, I’ve treated you very good, you’re coming here (in the US) with a $500 billion announcement, and now I hear you’re building all over India. I don’t want you building in India. You can build in India if you want to take care of India, because India is one of the highest tariff nations in the world’… ‘we put up with all the plants you built in China for years. We are not interested in you building in India. India can take care of themselves’.”
A senior official said that Apple has communicated to the Indian government that there were no changes in its investment plans in the country, which it sees as a crucial geography for expanding its manufacturing footprint.
Trump’s comments come at a time when Cook has confirmed that owing to China-related trade uncertainties, the company will produce a majority of iPhones sold in the US in India in the June quarter. Apple wants to move a quarter of all iPhone production to India in the next few years, in a gradual move away from China, which has so far been the key epicentre of the company’s manufacturing prowess.
