Actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut on Monday doubled down on her remarks during her visit to flood-hit Himachal Pradesh, saying she neither has the funds nor a cabinet position, adding, “this is not my assignment”.
Kangana Ranaut, Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Mandi Lok Sabha constituency, faced flak from the Opposition on Sunday after she said she had no cabinet or funds to rebuild the flood-affected areas. The remark from the MP had drawn criticism from the ruling Congress in Himachal.
While responding to the Congress criticism, Kangana said she doesn't need lessons "from those who hold no accountability."
"Those who have failed in their duties and completely let down the people of Himachal Pradesh have no right to preach to me. The people here are already disappointed with them. I don’t need lessons from those who hold no accountability," Kangana told news agency PTI.
Also Read: ‘No cabinet, no funds’: Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut on rain, flood disaster relief
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: ‘No cabinet, no funds’: Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut on rain, flood disaster relief
{{/usCountry}}The BJP MP also clarified on her Sunday statements, saying, “I had talked about accountability when the reporters asked when you are building Himachal back. So, I said I don't have the agencies or the cabinet. This is not my assignment.”
She also hit out at the Congress government in Himachal for failing to do its work.
"Initially, they (Congress government) were crying that Kangana didn't reach here. There are 17 assembly constituencies under me. This is not my official residence...If they (Congress) will try to cash in on my name, then I am afraid that my name will become very popular here," she added.
Kangana's statement comes a day after the MP said that her work is "limited to the parliament" and that she doesn't hold any cabinet.
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"Whether it's disaster relief or the disaster itself – I don't have any official cabinet. I have my two brothers who are always with me. That's my cabinet. So, it's just these two. I do not have any funds for disaster relief or hold any Cabinet post. MPs have work that is limited to Parliament. We are very small in the scheme of things,” Ranaut had told reporters.
The Congress had lashed out at her for the comments, calling them “insensitive” and “mocking” the pain of victims.
Himachal Pradesh is facing an intense spell of rain even as 30 people have been missing after cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides in the Thunag, Gohar and Karsog subdivisions of Mandi district. The IMD has warned of more rain in the coming days, issuing an alert for landslides and cloudbursts.
Since the onset of the monsoon last month, Himachal has reported 78 deaths, of which 50 were linked to rain-related incidents such as cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides, according to PTI.