Kullu – Actor and BJP MP from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut, faced protests during her visit to rain-affected regions in Himachal Pradesh. Locals in Patlikuhal waved black flags and shouted “go back” slogans, accusing her of arriving late to assess the situation. Police were called in to calm tensions as BJP leaders attempted to pacify the crowd.
Ranaut defended herself, saying her family home and restaurant were also affected, and she was suffering losses like others. She urged locals not to view her as privileged, but as a Himachali concerned about the disaster’s impact. She claimed that the Centre had sanctioned Rs 10,000 crore in aid, a figure the ruling Congress immediately disputed.
In her interactions with villagers, Ranaut was informed about houses at risk of collapse, eroding riverbanks, and the urgent need to channelise the Beas River. Residents said unchecked construction and deforestation had worsened the disaster. She echoed these concerns, blaming poor drainage systems and environmental degradation for the increasing frequency of calamities.
The Congress government, however, accused the BJP of politicising the crisis. Naresh Chauhan, media advisor to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, said the state had already spent Rs 397 crore on relief and rehabilitation. He dismissed Ranaut’s Rs 10,000 crore claim, noting that damages were closer to Rs 5,000 crore and that the Centre had so far announced Rs 1,500 crore, with no clarity on its disbursal.
Officials confirmed that 419 lives had been lost and thousands displaced by the floods and landslides in Kullu and Manali.
