Amruta Fadnavis' comments come as a raging battle ensues between Kangana Ranaut and Maharashtra
Amruta Fadnavis, the wife of former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, took to Twitter to indirectly support actor Kangana Ranaut who is in the centre of a political controversy over her tweet where she said Mumbai "felt like Pakistan-occupied Kashmir".
Ms Fadnavis did not name the actor in her tweet where she said freedom of speech and right to express must be defended in a democracy even if we do not agree with someone.
She added: "We can have counter arguments but beating posters of critics with chappals is a new low."
Her comments come amid a raging battle between the coalition government leaders of Maharashtra and Ms Ranaut who has been attacking the government and the Mumbai police for weeks over the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June.
The BJP has so far distanced itself from Ms Ranaut's comments with party leader Ashish Shelar saying, "Kangana should not try to teach Mumbai, Mumbaikars and Maharashtra. Sanjay Raut should not attack us through Kangana Ranaut. BJP has nothing to do with Kangana." Many other political leaders and even actors have criticised Ms Ranaut's remarks.
Ms Ranaut, 33, has been a vocal supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is currently staying in Himachal Pradesh's Manali.
The controversy erupted after the actor targeted the Mumbai police several times over investigation in Sushant Singh Rajput's death case.
Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut wrote in the party mouthpiece Saamana, "We kindly request her not to come to Mumbai. This is nothing but an insult to Mumbai Police. The Home Ministry should take action over it."
Kangana Ranaut's outburst came soon after where tagging a news report she compared the city to PoK and later the ruling coalition to the Taliban.
"Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena leader has given me an open threat and asked me not to come back to Mumbai, after Aazadi graffitis in Mumbai streets and now open threats, why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan occupied Kashmir?" she tweeted.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh also said that Ms Ranaut has no right to stay in Mumbai if she feels unsafe to which the Queen actor said, "He is taking his own calls on my democratic rights, from POK to Taliban in one day."