‘Should I give the money like an idiot?’: Kangana Ranaut blasts Himachal officials over unused funds

Kangana Ranaut lost her patience during a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee meeting in Mandi, questioning officials over public money that she said remained unused and development work that continued to lag.

“What is this behaviour? Why are we holding meetings if you don't want to do anything? It's become a bloody joke,” the BJP MP said in a video from the meeting circulating online.

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What is this behaviour? Why are we holding meetings if you don't want to do anything? It's become a bloody joke.

Ranaut claimed that around half of the ₹11 crore allocated for the area had not been used. She alleged that some funds had been taken without being spent and told officials to pressure those responsible to return the money. “You guys should put the pressure and take the public money back from them,” she said.

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You guys should put the pressure and take the public money back from them.

She also questioned the backlog from the previous year and asked whether she should continue allocating money when no one was dealing with unfinished work. “Should I give the money like an idiot? Who is going to look after this backlog?” she asked. Ranaut said only about ₹5 crore worth of work remained in the Mandi area she referred to as “Mandik Shekhar.”

The MP said the delays had generated negative publicity, with people making social-media reels and asking her in interviews why projects had not been completed. She said some shortcomings lay with the state government and that she had held several meetings with officials. Ranaut warned that she would prepare a formal report for the Centre if there was no visible improvement. She also alleged that 11 road projects worth ₹75 crore were being obstructed and accused Congress MLAs of claiming credit for projects brought through the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.

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Should I give the money like an idiot? Who is going to look after this backlog?