Mandi MP hits back at state leadership for ‘ineffective’ disaster response
Munish Sood
Mandi: Responding sharply to Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh’s criticism over her delayed visit to flood-ravaged Mandi, Mandi BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has said the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh “won’t return to power for the next 20 years”.
The remarks by Kangana Ranaut, an actor-turned-politician, came during her visit to disaster-hit areas of Karsog, Thunag and Nachan where she met affected families and surveyed extensive damage caused by the flashfloods.
Vikramaditya Singh had earlier questioned the absence of Kangana Ranaut from the ground even as flashfloods wreaked havoc across her home district Mandi. Countering this, the MP accused the Congress-led state government of abandoning people in their hour of need and indulging in political point-scoring.
“The same people who failed the victims now question my absence. What moral authority do they have to preach me?” Kangana asked while speaking to reporters in Nachan.
Claims public has lost faith in Congress
Kangana Ranaut, a first-time MP, said she was told by residents that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had made only a brief appearance in Thunag and Vikramaditya Singh had distributed mere lakhs in compensation despite damages running into crores. “People are angry. They are saying the Congress should not return to power for the next 20 years,” she claimed.
She accused the state government of being “corrupt and hypocritical”, more focused on deflecting blame than delivering relief. “They keep chanting my name to distract from their failures. I’m an MP, not a Cabinet minister. I don’t control PWD, disaster relief or infrastructure,” she said, defending her constitutional role.
BJP workers, central forces lead relief, says actor
Kangana praised the Central Government’s swift response, noting that army teams, central agencies, and BJP workers had stepped in to support relief efforts.
“From deploying troops to distributing blankets and essential aid, the Centre has acted fast. Meanwhile, the state government remains clueless. Repeating ‘Kangana-Kangana’ is not a flood relief strategy,” she said.
She highlighted how BJP ‘karyakartas’ were “working day and night” in affected areas, while the Congress leadership remained “photo-op driven”.
The floods that struck Mandi district on the night of June 30 have left at least 14 persons dead while 30 remain missing. Preliminary reports indicate that 225 homes and 215 cowsheds have been destroyed with entire villages disconnected due to washed-out roads and bridges. The scale of devastation, said Kangana, required a coordinated and long-term recovery effort.
