Greeted with ‘go back’ slogans, Ranaut says, ‘understand my pain, my restaurant did business of only Rs 50’

In one video, Ranaut is purportedly seen telling the locals to question her and not attack her.

“Eevn my house is located here. My restaurant is also here. It did a business of only Rs 50 yesterday. We pay Rs 15 lakh in salaries, and we could only do Rs 50 worth of business. Try to understand my pain too…I am a Himachali. I am a single woman. Don’t attack me as if I’m doing nothing. Don’t treat me like I’m the Queen of England. I have to earn my own living,” she said.

Claiming that Himachal has got Rs 10,000 crore from the Centre, she said that she was there to check how much work has been done by the state government.

Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods at several places in Kullu and Manali on August 25 and August 26, with strong currents of the Beas River washing away a multi-storey hotel and four shops. Stretches of Chandigarh-Manali National Highway and Manali-Leh Highway were washed away due to the rising water level of Beas River. Right Bank Road of Manali connecting Kullu city, bus stand and Bindu Dhank also suffered extensive damage. A house was damaged in Ramshele area in Kullu, water entered houses in the 14 Mile area near Manali and a fish farm was damaged in Patlikuhal as rivers and drains were in spate.

Earlier in the day, Ranaut visited the disaster-affected areas of Solang and Palchan in Manali subdivision, interacted with the affected people and took stock of the situation.

She was briefed about the infrastructural and other losses by BJP leader and former MLA from Manali, Govind Singh Thakur, and the residents. Singh said that families of 15-16 endangered houses have been shifted to safer places. They informed the MP that the whole Solang village is on the verge of sliding as the Beas River is cutting the mountain on which the village is located. Diverting the course of the river by channelising the water is the remedy, they said.

Talking to reporters, Ranaut said that the frequency of disasters due to heavy rains has increased manifold, Beas River has become aggressive and deforestation, heavy construction and the absence of proper drainage have added to the problem.

She said that people of Himachal Pradesh have to adopt a holistic approach to save the state as also pointed out by the Supreme Court.

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is working day and night to restore roads but the condition of link roads is bad and neither officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) nor the minister are seen anywhere, she alleged.

Former chief minister late Virbhadra Singh’s son Vikramaditya Singh is the Himachal PWD minister.

The Congress government is ruling Himachal Pradesh, she said, and asked where Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are.

Meanwhile, principal media advisor to the Chief Minister, Naresh Chauhan, attacked the BJP for “playing politics” at a time when the state is grappling with colossal losses due to the recent monsoon disaster.

He said the BJP leaders at both state and central levels were issuing “misleading and irresponsible statements” instead of supporting the government in seeking liberal assistance from the Centre.

Addressing a press conference here, Chauhan said while the state machinery was fully engaged in relief and restoration, the BJP accused the Congress government of neglecting affected families and failing to deliver financial aid. He reminded the Opposition that several ministers, including Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri, Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi, and others had personally visited disaster-hit areas. Rejecting Ranaut’s claim that the Centre sanctioned Rs 10,000 crore, Chauhan challenged the BJP leaders to provide concrete evidence instead of “spreading rumours for headlines”.

Highlighting the scale of destruction, Chauhan said 419 deaths have been reported so far, with losses estimated at nearly Rs 5,000 crore — likely to rise further. He noted that despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of Rs 1,500 crore during his recent visit, the state has not received clarity on whether the aid is a grant or scheme-specific. “Even in 2023, when losses touched Rs 10,000 crore, the BJP could not secure adequate relief from the Centre,” he added.

Chauhan detailed that the state government has already released Rs 397 crore from its own resources in 2025, with Mandi, Kangra, and Shimla receiving the highest allocations. In addition, Rs 140 crore has been provided to departments and civic bodies for rehabilitation. The government has also revised the relief manual, enhancing compensation for damaged houses, shops, cowsheds, livestock, and belongings — raising amounts by up to 10 times in some cases.

(With inputs from PTI)