Kangana vs officials in Mandi: The story behind the public fallout

At a September 5 meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) in Mandi, the actor-turned-BJP MP tore into officials over development works in her constituency. “11 crore diya hai… kaam ek bhi nahi hua (Rs 11 crore was sanctioned and nothing has been done),” Ranaut said during the meeting, accusing officials of being “lazy”, “fuhad” and “inefficient”.

She also asked all officials responsible for the alleged delayed work to stand up. “People sitting here act better than me,” she said sarcastically, at one point mimicking officials laughing in their offices. But what exactly had the Mandi MP so worked up?

The issue was not simply that Rs 11 crore had been allocated for development, but that works sanctioned from the funds were, according to the MP, moving too slowly. Of these, it said Rs 3.22 crore had already been spent, while 68 of the 74 works completed across the parliamentary constituency were in Mandi district.

A senior administration officer, who was at the meeting, acknowledged that the possibility of laxity by officials in the execution of some development works could not be ruled out. The officer pointed to the exceptional circumstances created by disasters that affected Himachal Pradesh in 2025, saying these had hampered the progress of several works.

He added that officials should perhaps not react immediately in such situations: “I believe, sometimes it is good not to react simultaneously — at least in the case of our MP.” BJP MLAs Inder Singh Gandhi and Dalip Thakur, who were at the meeting, offered some context to Ranaut’s anger.

According to them, the MP was particularly agitated because officials had given responses similar to those provided during two earlier meetings concerning MPLADS works. Gandhi also pointed towards a wider problem. “MPLADS funds are a separate matter.

Even we, the elected representatives for our legislative assembly, have not managed to expedite developmental works under Vidhayak the Nidhi,” Gandhi told The Indian Express. The MLA Local Area Development Fund, he pointed out, had also been reduced from Rs 2.20 crore to Rs 1.10 crore annually.

However, the party’s response to Ranaut’s confrontation in Mandi has been relatively measured. A senior BJP leader in Shimla said the attention generated by Ranaut’s meeting should not be interpreted to mean that other BJP MPs were not pursuing development issues.

“The other three BJP MPs — Suresh Kumar Kashyap from Shimla, Rajiv Bhardwaj from Kangra and Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur — have also been holding meetings with district officials regarding MPLADS work,” the leader said.

“It does not mean that they don’t raise issues relating to development works or utilisation of funds.” The difference, the leader said, was largely in the manner in which the Mandi MP’s meeting unfolded. “Her reaction became widely visible because of her Bollywood personality and the manner in which she expressed her anger.” While the 14 Block Development Officers who were at the receiving end of Ranaut’s ire have not commented, the Himachal Pradesh Block Development Officers Association objected to the language used during the meeting.

The association said it respected the constitutional and administrative role of elected representatives in reviewing development works, but said language affecting the dignity and morale of officers was regrettable and had disappointed the BDOs.

The association called for future reviews to be conducted on the basis of official records, facts and ground realities while maintaining a “respectful and dignified tone”. Association president G C Pathak said the September 5 incident was unprecedented in the three DISHA meetings held with Ranaut since 2024 in Mandi.

“This happened for the first time,” Pathak said.