Minister's <i>Jhansi Ki Rani</i> Jibe At Kangana Ranaut Over Mandi Rain Disaster

Minister's <i>Jhansi Ki Rani</i> Jibe At Kangana Ranaut Over Mandi Rain Disaster

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• Himachal Pradesh floods killed 37 people and caused Rs 400 crore in damages
• State minister took a jibe at Kangana Ranaut over her response to the Mandi disaster
• The minister said playing "Jhansi ki Rani on screen and being like one in real life is different"

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Himachal Pradesh is badly hit by heavy rain and flash floods, killing 78 people and damaging property worth Rs 400 crore, and the Mandi district - the Parliamentary constituency of BJP's Kangana Ranaut - was the worst hit over 15 deaths, and Ms Ranaut's delayed response to the tragedy turned into a political row, which even saw her party colleague, Jairam Thakur, expressing displeasure.

The weather situation has relatively improved in Himachal, but the political row continues. Today, state cabinet minister Jagat Singh Negi hit out at Ms Ranaut and said, "Playing Jhansi ki Rani on screen is one thing, but being like her in real life is different." The BJP MP played Rani Laxmibai in the film 'Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi'. 

"I don't want to talk about her mindset, she says we got independence after 2014...She was sent to the parliament, but she didn't raise questions on the inadequacy of the relief material," Mr Negi said in Hindi during a press conference, adding that, "Whenever a house gets washed away, the Centre gives only Rs 1.5 lakh compensation...Who is stopping her from raising a demand in the Parliament to increase the compensation in the relief manual?"

Ms Ranaut has not responded to Mr Negi's remarks. 

The BJP MP is facing criticism over remarks during her visit to Mandi on July 6. While addressing the relief efforts in her constituency, she jokingly said that she does not have any official Cabinet to provide disaster relief. 

"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," the BJP MP said as she laughed.

However, she also assured people of getting help from the Centre for disaster relief funds. Congress termed the remarks "insensitive and asked her to "show some sensitivity" toward the people who are "distressed". 

Earlier, she was criticised for her delayed response to the disaster, and the row escalated after Jairam Thakur reacted to her absence and said, "I do not know, and I do not wish to comment on it. We are here to live and die for those who care; I do not wish to comment on those who do not care."

A day after the backlash, Ms Ranaut had issued a statement on the disaster and mentioned that Jairam Thakur advised her to wait till the connectivity and reach to the affected areas are restored.

At least 78 people died in Himachal Pradesh since the onset of monsoon on June 20, out of which 50 people died in rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, while 28 deaths were reported in road accidents, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said. The state reported 23 incidents of flash floods, followed by 19 cloud burst incidents and 16 landslides so far.

The flash floods have sent 280 roads, including 156 in Mandi, out of bounds for traffic.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), the estimated losses due to the rains so far stand at around Rs 572 crore, though the Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, said the figure was close to Rs 700 crore as data was still being compiled. The Chief Minister also announced a series of relief measures, including Rs 5,000 per month as rental assistance for families displaced by the calamity, and said that the cloudburst incidents are being studied.