Generate revenue, don't beg from Centre: Kangana Ranaut raps Himachal officials

Kangana Ranaut sharply rebuked Himachal Pradesh officials at a DISHA meeting in Mandi over delays and weak revenue generation. She also accused the Congress government of chasing credit for projects and warned of reporting non-performing departments to the Centre.Focus on revenue, not begging: Kangana slams Himachal officialsBJP MP Kangana Ranaut publicly dressed down Himachal Pradesh government officials at the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting in her home constituency Mandi, saying that instead of taking a “begging bowl” to the Centre for Rs 1,000 crore and such large amounts, the focus should be on generating revenue and advancing the One District One Product initiative.“You're sitting with your hands folded. If the government hasn't reached out to you, then you reach out to them. Why do you have to be ashamed? What is stopping you from taking the step? Say that you have to advance the One District One Product initiative... Are you waiting for someone to come up to you? You're in a leadership role in the department. So, you take it forward... Go and take lessons from people in other states,” Ranaut told district officials.She said other states had significantly advanced and uplifted their economies, while Himachal Pradesh had little revenue generation. “And then we go to the Centre with a begging bowl, that give us Rs 1,000 crore... We also have to generate revenue. We have so much talent. Why are we not advancing ODOP?” she said.Ranaut said officials could not “sit folding their hands” and had to take responsibility, urging them to undergo training in other states. Speaking to reporters after the DISHA meeting, Ranaut said officials needed to act more responsibly and alleged that she had observed delays, lags and a “lackadaisical approach” among them. She said the meeting lasted around three-and-a-half to four hours and covered every department and sector in detail, with suggestions offered for departments that were lagging behind.Ranaut also slammed the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government, accusing it of being more interested in claiming credit for development projects than doing its own work. She said projects in the Mandi region, including the Bhubhu Jot tunnel and works undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, had been carried out by her government. She alleged that Congress members rushed to take credit for development projects, whether funded by the Centre or initiated by her side, while Congress MLAs did not even attend the DISHA meeting.Ranaut said people had started asking her during interviews why certain works in the region were not being completed. She said she had held numerous meetings with government officials and tried to engage with them in every possible way, but alleged that they were underestimating her because of the way she communicated with them.She warned that if there was no visible progress in certain departments, she would prepare a formal report against the officials and send it to the Centre. Ranaut said the prevailing sentiment was that the officials and the state government were a “complete failure”.She also alleged that obstacles were being created for 11 road projects worth Rs 75 crore. Furthermore, she accused Congress MLAs of rushing to lay foundation stones, hold groundbreaking ceremonies and put up their own plaques for Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana projects that she claimed had been brought to the region by her side.Earlier, Ranaut had said the Congress government had “ruined the state”, alleging a lack of coordination between the government and officials and accusing the state administration of failing to properly implement central government schemes.- EndsPublished By: Sayan GangulyPublished On: Sep 8, 2026 23:59 IST