In Mandi, Kangana Ranaut's statements beg the question — is this the MP its people deserve?

Indian Express

a day ago

'If not friend, why friend-shaped?' It's how the internet talks about people who are disingenuous — people whose appearance belies their intent. I'm borrowing it here for a different kind of creature — the politician who performs empathy without offering it. Kangana Ranaut's recent visit to flood-hit Mandi in Himachal Pradesh was a perfect illustration of that gap between appearance and action. Smiling for the cameras, laughing about her 'cabinet of two brothers', she reminded us that performance can often eclipse empathy.
Since June, Himachal Pradesh has been experiencing cloud bursts that have led to flash floods. Many people have lost their lives, and damage to property has been estimated at over Rs 400 crore. When the elected MP from the region, Hindi film actor Ranaut, was asked by the media what she was doing for relief, she said, 'I don't have any cabinet or funds for disaster relief… I have my two brothers, that's my cabinet… MPs are very small in the scheme of things.'
Perhaps, in a state run by the Opposition, this may be partially true — Ranaut is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, and the state is governed by the Indian National Congress (INC). But she still has at her disposal the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), an annual entitlement of Rs 5 crore for developmental work in her constituency, including for events such as the ongoing floods. This then is both a dereliction of duty and a lack of empathy.
But, even if Ranaut had managed to muster empathy for the families left to rebuild their homes and businesses, as they struggle to cope with the loss of loved ones, the questions would still remain: Is Ranaut really the politician people deserve?
Flash floods are not new to the mountains. There has been a deluge of flash floods in the Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for the past several years. They occur when intense rainfall overwhelms the land's ability to absorb water, causing sudden, high-speed runoff. They're often triggered by cloudbursts or deforestation. A major contributing factor is also unchecked construction or developmental work that exact a high environmental cost.
An MP obviously cannot fix the vagaries of nature. But she can, if she so chooses, amplify the pitfalls of unplanned construction and the ecological damage and devastation they wreak. She can push the government, at the Centre and state, to take corrective action. She can ensure that people at the receiving end have an ally in her. Eighty dead, 31 missing, over 150 homes and 106 cattle shelters destroyed, 14 bridges collapsed, and 31 vehicles swept away. In such circumstances, when Ranaut chooses not to use her voice, it is a deliberate letdown of the very people who have elected her to represent them.
Film stars have always had a penchant for politics. From Amitabh Bachchan to Hema Malini, Jaya Prada to Jaya Bachchan, actors have forayed into politics. Barring Jaya Bachchan, few have managed to live up to the demands of the job. But if the rising floodwaters make one thing clear, it is this: We need public servants who are ready to serve. We need doers, not performers.
In a recent podcast conversation with spiritual mentor Ravi V Melwani, Ranaut opened up about not enjoying her work as a politician. 'I don't enjoy it. I've never thought of serving people… I've lived a very selfish kind of life. I want to have a big house and a big car. I want to have diamonds.'
This isn't a gotcha moment; it is a moment of clarity, if there ever was one.
Indurkar is a writer, editor, and poet from Jabalpur