On November 29, Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of comparing her laughter to demon princess Surpanakha, sister of demon king Ravana. Though PM Modi never took any name in his February 2018 address in Rajya Sabha, we took a journey to the historic serial Ramayana to find some of the most iconic laughs of all time.
Demon king Ravana alias Dashanana
King of Lanka, the demon king Ravana was one of the essential characters from Ramayana. In the serial Ramayana by Ramanand Sagar, the role was played by actor late Arvind Trivedi.
Demon prince Indrajit alias Meghnad
Son of Ravana, Indrajit, was known for his velour and supernatural powers. In the serial Ramayana, the late actor Vijay Arora played the role.
Demon prince Kumbhkarna
The Brother of Ravana, Kumbhkarna, was known for his 6-month sleep cycle. As per the legends, he had a gigantic body and appetite. Every time he woke up after a 6-month-long sleep, he used to eat a lot of food. The role was played by the late actor Nalin Dave.
Demon princess Surpanakha
The Sister of Ravana, Surpanakha, wanted to marry Bhagwan Rama. When Rama refused, she tried to kill Mata Sita. Irked by her attempts to woo Rama and her desire to kill Sita, Lakshman, brother of Rama, cut off her nose. Renu Dhariwal, alias Renu Khanolkar played a role in the serial. Interestingly, when the controversy came to the fore, Khanolkar was a Congress leader and had a striking resemblance to Renuka Chowdhury.
Demoness Tadaka
Tadaka, or Tataka, was one of the first demons killed by Bhagwan Ram.
Demon King Lavanasura
A demon king, killed by Rama’s younger brother Shatrughna. The role was played by late actor Vilas Raj.
Mallikarjun Kharge compared PM Modi to Ravana
Congress leader Renuka reminded of the 2018 controversy after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was called out for comparing PM Modi to Ravana. He tried to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi, equating him to the demon king Raavan. He remarked at a public event in Narendra Modi’s home state Gujarat that Modi has 100 heads since he is present in every election. “We see your face everywhere in corporation, MLA, and MP elections. Do you have 100 heads like Raavan?” Kharge said at a gathering in Ahmedabad’s Behrampura.