Organizers of Lav Kush Ramleela must revoke their decision to cast Poonam Pandey: Delhi BJP
A fresh controversy is stirring in New Delhi over the Luv Kush Ramleela Committee’s choice to cast model and actress Poonam Pandey as Mandodari, the wife of Ravana, in their upcoming performance. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), who say it clashes with the event’s traditional values.
Praveen Shankar Kapoor, the media head for Delhi BJP and a senior vice president of the Ramleela committee, slammed the casting move in a strong statement. He fired off a letter to committee president Arjun Kumar and secretary Subhash Goyal, urging them to drop Pandey from the role right away.
In the letter, Kapoor pointed out that Poonam Pandey has built her fame through bold and often controversial antics on social media, rather than positive characters in films. “She’s known for promoting obscenity and vulgarity,” he wrote, adding that giving her a spot in the Ramleela undermines the event’s dignity and cultural spirit.
The backlash isn’t just from BJP. The Delhi unit of VHP has joined in, calling the choice a deep insult to millions of devotees who cherish the Ramleela as a sacred retelling of the Ramayana epic. “Organizers must reverse this decision immediately,” the letter demanded, highlighting how it wounds religious sentiments.
Poonam Pandey has a long history of sparking debates. Back in 2011, she grabbed headlines by promising to strip if India won the Cricket World Cup—a stunt that went viral. More recently, in 2024, her team faked her death from cervical cancer to spotlight the disease. The ploy blew up on social media but quickly drew widespread anger for exploiting a serious health issue, leaving Pandey facing heavy backlash.
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