Shimla: Bollywood actor-turned-MP Kangana Ranaut has alleged that she received an inflated electricity bill of Rs 1 lakh for her home in Himachal Pradesh’s Manali.
Born in Bhambla (now Surajpur), a town in Mandi district, Kangana now represents Mandi in the Lok Sabha. Though film work and parliamentary duties keep her shuttling between Mumbai and Delhi, the actor owns a European style mansion in Manali.
The power bill came to light when the BJP MP spoke about it Saturday during a constituency-level party meeting in Balh assembly segment, as she seemingly used the opportunity to criticise the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government.
A video of her address to BJP workers has since surfaced on social media in which she exhorts them to oust the party in power.
“Iss mahine mere Manali ka ghar ka Rs 1 lakh bijli ka bill aaya, jaha main rehti bhi nahi hoon. Itni durdasha ki hui hai. Hum padhte hai aur sharmindagi hoti hai ke yeh kya ho raha hai. Par hamare paas ek mauka hai, aap sab jo mere bhai behen hai, aap log ground pe itna kaam karte hai. (This month, I received an electricity bill of Rs 1 lakh for my house in Manali, where I don’t even live. It’s such a miserable condition. I read it and feel ashamed about what’s happening. But we have a chance—all of you, my brothers and sisters, who work so hard on the ground),” Kangana tells party workers in the video.
“Yeh hum sabka hi dayitva hai, ke hume iss desh ko, iss pradesh ko, unnati ke raaste par chalana hai. Main toh kahungi yeh bhediya hi hai, aur hume hamare pradesh ko inki chungul se nikalna hai. (It’s our collective responsibility to take this country, this state, on the path of progress. I’d say these are wolves, and we have to free our state from their claws).”
The property’s electricity connection falls under the jurisdiction of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB).
On Tuesday evening, HPSEBL managing director Sandeep Kumar clarified that the inflated amount was due to an unpaid previous bill.
“The connection registered in Kangana’s name has consumed 9,000 units for the latest billing cycle. The bill was generated based on the electricity consumed. Additionally, she has availed a subsidy of over Rs 700 for this billing month,” he told the media.
Giving a detailed breakup of the bill, Kumar said that the total billing amount was Rs 91,687, including Rs 58,096 as current charges, Rs 32,287 as the previous unpaid amount, and Rs 1,300 as a late payment surcharge.
The bill, which was issued on 22 March, had its due date seven days later.
Earlier in the day, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu played down Kangana’s allegation, saying that he doesn’t take her statements seriously.
“The issue she raised is about an inflated electricity bill. She has built a large house, which naturally leads to a big bill. I’ve given directions. However, I don’t take her statements seriously. She often makes such remarks,” Sukhu told the media in Ahmedabad, where he attended the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session.
Naresh Chauhan, media advisor to CM Sukhu, slammed the Mandi MP for “politicising” the matter.
“We have a full-fledged department. If anyone has some issue with the bill, he or she can go to the officials and get the electricity meter checked. We have not imposed special rates on the Mandi MP. And, this is not even an issue that should be politicised,” Chauhan told ThePrint.
Kangana, he asserted, could resolve the billing problem via usual procedures of the electricity department.
This report has been updated with the statement of HPSEBL managing director.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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