Sabeer Bhatia slams Kangana Ranaut for 'no staff, no funds' remark at Mandi: 'Why hold office then?'

Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia, and BJP MP from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut (Image credit: Sabeer Bhatia/X, @KanganaFansR/X)

Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia has hit out at actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut for what she had said during her visit to her flood-hit constituency, Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. In a now-hidden post on X, without naming Ranaut, Bhatia questioned why she was holding the post of an MP if she could not help the people.

"A leader recently told her people she can't help them — no staff, no funds, no power to act. Add to that: no intention of helping them either. Why hold office then?" he wrote. When an X user asked Grok who Bhatia was referring to, the AI tool replied: "That's Kangana Ranaut, BJP MP from Mandi. Amid recent Himachal floods, she told constituents she can't help—no funds, no cabinet, limited power as an MP. Sabeer adds she has no intention either. True leadership finds a way, right?"

Bhatia and Grok were referring to a video doing rounds on social media which showed Ranaut saying: “Whether it's disaster relief or the disaster itself — I don’t have any official cabinet. I have my two brothers who are always with me. That’s my cabinet. So, it's just these two.”

Mandi is devastated by a cloudburst. People are suffering.

And BJP MP Kangana Ranaut says — ‘I don’t have any ministry, I can’t help’ (laughs).

This is what happens when you elect actors instead of leaders. pic.twitter.com/gfHl2zFPdo

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This statement drew flak from the Congress, which accused the newly elected MP of treating the grim situation lightly. Posting the video, the Congress wrote: “In Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, a cloudburst has caused widespread devastation. People are distressed, their lives completely upended. Mandi's MP Kangana arrived there after several days and, laughing, said, 'What can I do, I don’t have a cabinet position.' Show some compassion, Kangana ji.”

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate also criticised the actor-turned-politician. “Even BJP's Jairam Thakur is left speechless in the face of Kangana Ji's insensitivity," she said. “A cloudburst in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, has caused massive destruction. Kangana Ji, who is the MP from there, visited the area for the first time after the tragedy. People have lost everything — and she is in the mood for sarcasm, jokes, and laughter?”

Ranaut, who toured the affected areas on Sunday, later expressed grief over the devastation. “We can only console the families who have lost their kin, and now it is time to provide relief,” she said.