New Delhi : All India Congress Committee AICC Secretary and AICC Observer for Mandi Sanjay Dutt slammed BJP's Mandi Lok Sabha seat candidate Kangana Ranaut for "not helping" people of Himachal Pradesh while the state faced biggest ever natural calamity last year and now projecting herself as "daughter" of Mandi during election time, said a statement from AICC on Monday.
Further, Sanjay Dutt appreciated the role of the Himachal Government particularly Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his Cabinet Ministers, MP Mandi Rani Pratibha Singh and all Congress workers for wholeheartedly helping the people of the state during this holocaust.
Dutt said that BJP leaders like BJP national President JP Nadda, former CM Jai Ram Thakur and all BJP MPs for both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha and Anurag Thakur who holds the rank of Minister in Modi Cabinet could not bring any special package to Himachal to fight the crisis, which was needed on humanitarian ground and was also Himachal's right being an integral part of India.
He further added that if Kangna was so poor that she could not help the people of Himachal Pradesh then she could have just given token money of Rs 1100 as a symbol of solidarity with the people of the state in crisis.
Dutt appreciated actors like Amir Khan who donated Rs 25 lac to Himachal Pradesh during this hour of crisis.
Notably, over the weekend of 12-13 August 2023, additional torrential rains hit Shimla and other parts of Himachal, causing floods, triggering landslides, destroying a temple, homes, and buildings, and killing at least 57 people.
Earlier, Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh questioned Bollywood actress and BJP candidate from Himachal's Mandi Lok Sabha seat Kangna Ranaut over her contribution during last year's Himachal floods as she (Kangana) calls herself Himachal's daughter.
"Voters will ask her what contribution she made. During last year's floods, Himachal faced massive destruction. As a Bollywood actress, she has no shortage of money, if she didn't want to contribute with money at least she would have paid a visit to the state and met families who are under grief and pain as she claims of being Himachal's daughter."
Notably, in the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency, the Bhartiya Janata Party has pitted actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut against Congress' Vikramaditya Singh.
The Mandi Lok Sabha constituency will go to polls on June 1, in the seventh phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections
Himachal Pradesh has four Lok Sabha seats: Hamirpur, Mandi, Shimla, and Kangra. The BJP had won all four seats in 2019.
The elections to the four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh and by-polls to the six assembly constituencies that fell vacant with the disqualification of six rebel Congress MLAs will be held on June 1.