Vikramaditya: Comments against Kangana 'unfortunate', where was she during HP floods?

Shimla, Mar 30 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh on Saturday said the derogatory comments made against actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut were "unfortunate" even as he questioned her absence during the 2023 floods in the state.

Ranaut has been fielded by the BJP as its candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat. She will take on Congress state chief and sitting Mandi MP Pratibha Singh -- the wife of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and the mother of Himachal Public Works Department minister Vikramaditya Singh.

Days after Ranaut was named the BJP candidate from Mandi, the Congress kicked up a proverbial storm after derogatory comments about the actor and her constituency were posted on the social media handles of its leaders Supriya Shrinate and H S Ahir.

"I would be the first to defend Kangana Ranaut if someone made an unwanted remark against her but where was she when the worst monsoon disaster struck Himachal?" Singh told reporters here, asserting that Ranaut was like his elder sister.

"We are political adversaries, not enemies. I assure you that we will never cross the line in 'Dev Bhoomi' Himachal Pradesh," added Singh, the Congress in-charge for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat.

There is no disputing the fact that Ranaut has brought glory to Himachal Pradesh, but she must also answer why she remembered Mandi only after taking entering the political arena, he said.

"Where was she when the worst-ever monsoon disaster hit the state? She has a house in Mandi and Manali... has she even met any of the affected people in these places?" he said.

If she says that she is the daughter of Mandi, she should also remember that daughters are there for you during the good times and bad, he said.

Ranaut, who addressed her first election meeting in Mandi on Friday, called herself a "daughter and sister" of the people of Mandi and claimed she was constantly “bullied” for hailing from Himachal Pradesh.

Elections to the four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh and bypolls to the six assembly constituencies that fell vacant with the disqualification of six rebel Congress MLAs will be held on June 1.

The Mandi Lok Sabha constituency has mostly remained the battlefield of erstwhile royal families and their scions have won 13 out of the 19 elections including two by-elections held for the seat.

Pratibha Singh from the erstwhile Bushar Royal family had earlier pulled out of the race for the party ticket, maintaining that the ground reality was not favourable and workers were disheartened.

However, she changed her stance after Ranaut was announced as the BJP candidate and said that she "will follow the directions of the Congress high command".

Reacting to the BJP giving tickets to the Congress rebels for the bypolls, Singh said the people of the six assembly segments, as well as the local BJP leaders whose future is in the doldrums, would ensure the victory of Congress candidates.

The BJP high command should have considered the feelings of the party workers who worked for the party in a dedicated way, he said and reiterated that some disgruntled BJP leaders were in contact with the Congress.

The six disqualified Congress MLAs, along with three Independent legislators, had voted in favour of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha polls on February 27.

All the MLAs switched to the BJP on March 23 following which the six rebels were given tickets from their respective assembly seats, causing a rebellion in the saffron party. PTI