Shimla: Amid a hype around Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's candidature in Mandi Lok Sabha constituency in Himachal Pradesh, state cabinet minister, Vikramaditya Singh has taken a dig at the actress questioning her absence during last year's floods.
Ranaut, who is not new to controversy, is in news again after she recently joined the BJP, which has fielded her from Mandi constituency as the party candidate.
But cabinet minister in the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government, Vikramaditya Singh believes that elections are not fought on stardom alone. Taking a dig at the film actress, Vikramaditya Singh said, Where was Kangana Ranaut when Himachal and Mandi were facing disaster? Elections are not fought on the strength of stardom alone. This requires strategy and life long commitment”.
While Kanagana is the BJP candidate from Mandi, sitting MP Pratibha Singh has decided to sit out.
Vikramaditya Singh said, “I would like to ask Kangana Ranaut whether you are the daughter of Mandi. But when the biggest disaster of this century occurred in Mandi, where crores of rupees were lost and many bridges were washed away, where were you at that time?"
Vikramaditya Singh said, "When Mandi was facing the disaster, the sitting MP Pratibha Singh met every person. She visited every affected area. Be it in Kullu, Mandi or Manali, she visited everywhere. But did Kangana Ranaut come to meet people in even a single area of Mandi for a single day? Did she extend any support to the people of Mandi and Himachal from Mumbai? This is a big question”.
The Congress leader further asked, "Given the commitments Kangana is making at the time of elections, will she go to every Panchayat here after the elections? Will she have enough time to leave Bollywood and listen to the voice of the people here?
