Kangana Ranaut’s “₹50 Restaurant Sales” Remark During Flood Visit Sparks Backlash in Himachal

Newly elected BJP MP from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh—Kangana Ranaut—has found herself at the center of controversy after making a surprising statement during her visit to flood-affected areas.

While addressing the victims, she said:

“Yesterday, my restaurant made only ₹50 in sales, and I still have to pay ₹15 lakh in salaries. Please understand my pain too. I’m also from Himachal.”

In a time of widespread destruction and mourning, this statement has been widely criticised as tone-deaf and insensitive by netizens and locals alike.

According to official data from the Himachal Pradesh State Emergency Operation Centre:

• Since the onset of monsoon on June 20, 419 deaths have been recorded

  • 237 are directly rain-related

    • Landslides: 52

    • Falls from slopes: 45

    • Drowning: 40

    • Cloudbursts: 17

    • Flash floods: 11

  • Road accidents: 182

As people mourn the loss of lives and livelihoods, Kangana’s restaurant sales remark is being seen as ill-timed, self-centered, and disconnected from the ground reality.