‘Go back Kangana, you're...’ Black flags and slogans greet BJP MP during flood-hit Manali visit

Shimla: Bollywood actor and BJP MP from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut, was met with protests on Thursday when she visited a rain-hit area in Himachal Pradesh’s Manali. Locals shouted slogans of “Go back Kangana, you are late” as she arrived in Patlikuhal, part of the Kullu district.

Videos circulating online showed local residents waving black flags and chanting slogans as Kangana’s convoy passed through. The protests created a tense situation, with heated arguments breaking out between villagers and BJP leaders who accompanied the MP. Police were called in to defuse the confrontation and restore calm.

What damage did the rains cause in Manali?

Heavy rainfall on 25 and 26 August triggered flash floods and landslides across Kullu and Manali. The strong flow of the Beas river swept away a multi-storey hotel and four shops.

The rising river also destroyed parts of the Chandigarh–Manali National Highway and the Manali–Leh Highway. The Right Bank Road of Manali, which connects Kullu city, the bus stand and Bindu Dhank, was badly damaged.

In addition, a house was destroyed in Ramshele area of Kullu, water entered homes in the 14 Mile area near Manali, and a fish farm in Patlikuhal was damaged as rivers and drains overflowed.

Earlier in the day, Kangana visited Solang and Palchan in Manali subdivision, where she interacted with residents and reviewed the damage.

She was briefed about losses to infrastructure and property by BJP leader and former MLA from Manali, Govind Singh Thakur, as well as local people.

Govind Singh Thakur told the MP that families from 15 to 16 houses at risk had already been shifted to safer locations. Residents further informed her that Solang village itself was under serious threat as the Beas river was eroding the mountain on which the settlement stands.

They explained that the only solution was to divert the course of the river by properly channelising the water.

(PTI)