Kangana Ranaut says Manali restaurant made only Rs 50 amid Himachal floods

BJP MP and actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut on Thursday (September 18) rued the financial losses suffered by her due to the floods and losses in Himachal Pradesh, saying that her restaurant in Manali has made only Rs 50 in sales on Wednesday and that she pays Rs 15 lakh in salaries for the staff members.

Her comments come at a time when scores of families in her constituency, Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, are reeling under the impact of devastating floods and landslides in the State.

‘Understand my pain’

"Yesterday, my restaurant made only Rs 50 in sales, and I pay Rs 15 lakh in salaries. Please understand my pain, too. I am also a Himachali and a resident of this place,” said Ranaut as quoted by NDTV. She made the remark during a visit to Mandi.

Ranaut launched her restaurant, The Mountain Story, in Manali earlier this year and promoted it on social media, stating that it would serve authentic traditional Himachali cuisine. However, the café has seen little business as floods and landslides have ravaged the state, impacting tourism.

Ranaut, during her trip to Solang and Palchan, was accompanied by BJP leader and former Manali MLA Govind Singh Thakur. Locals told the MP that the Solang village was facing the risk of major landslides as the Beas river was gradually eroding the mountain on which the settlement stands. The villagers said that changing the course of the river was the only solution to prevent further erosion.

Also Read: Kangana Ranaut withdraws plea against defamation complaint

Faces 'go back' slogans

During her visit to a rain-affected area in Manali, locals raised 'Go back Kangana, you are late' slogans against her. Videos of locals expressing their resentment against Kangana Ranaut's visit to Patlikuhal area of Manali in Himachal's Kullu district went viral on the internet. In the video, local people holding black flags, shouting slogans are seen near the carcade of the actor-politician.

Heated arguments were also witnessed when BJP leaders and others accompanying Kangana tried to pacify the residents, and police had to intervene to restore peace.

Also Read: Cloudburst wreaks havoc in Uttarakhand; 3 killed in torrential rains in Himachal

On KS Alagiri’s slap remark

As for Congress leader KS Alagiri’s remark that she should be slapped if she comes to Tamil Nadu, Ranaut said nobody can stop anyone from going to any place in India.

She said that during a voting session in Parliament, some of the Opposition MPs addressed her as ‘Thalaivii’ in appreciation of her portrayal of late former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in a movie.

“We can go anywhere in India. Nobody can stop us. If there are people who hate you, there are also those who love you. I have portrayed the character of Dr J. Jayalalithaa in Thalaivii. You will not believe that some of our Opposition MPs, when we were in the House for a voting session, walked past in lime and three or four of them addressed me as Thalaivii. What one person says does not make any difference, Ranaut told reporters.

Also Read: Massive portion of Himachal hill swept away after landslide

Yellow alert in Himachal

The local Meteorological (MeT) office has issued a yellow warning for heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning in isolated areas of Bilaspur, Kangra, Mandi, and Sirmaur on Thursday. Thunderstorms were witnessed in Shimla, Kangra, Palampur, Murari Devi and Sundernagar while gusty winds with wind speed ranging between 33 to 35 kmph lashed Tabo and Bajaura, the MeT said.

A total of 566 roads, including the NH 3 (Attari-Leh road) and the NH-503A (Amritsar-Bhota road), were closed on Thursday morning. A maximum of 203 roads have been closed in Mandi, followed by 156 in Kullu and 50 in Shimla district, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

Since the onset of monsoon this year, the Himalayan state has witnessed 46 cloudbursts, 98 flash floods and 145 major landslides, while 419 people have died. Of those dead, 237 lost their lives in rain-related incidents and 182 in road accidents. About 479 people have suffered injuries, while 45 are still missing.

(With agency inputs)