Bollywood actress and BJP MP from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut raised eyebrows recently by claiming that she had received an electricity bill of around a mind-boggling Rs 1 lakh for a single month for her “unoccupied” house in Manali. “It is a miserable situation. I feel ashamed as to what is happening,” she had said while hitting out at the Himachal Pradesh government. State Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, however, dismissed it as a case of Kangana being Kangana. He noted that the actor is known for making sensational remarks. He further remarked that Kangana, being more of an artiste than a politician, likes being dramatic on stage.
BJP leaders bat for Waqf as protests continue
As members of Muslim organisations and Opposition leaders across the country are up in arms over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, BJP leaders are trying hard to allay the apprehensions of the minority community about the new legislation. Union Minister of Power and Urban Development and former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar recently met with members of the Muslim community in Karnal and assured them that the amendment would ensure greater transparency and reduce land-related disputes. Khattar also said that thanks to the law, people will have the right to appeal Waqf board’s decisions in court, a welcome change.
Mann and Hamdard bury the hatchet after two yrs
The bitterness between Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and Barjinder Singh Hamdard, the managing editor of a leading Punjabi daily, appears to be fading away. It all started after the Mann government ordered a vigilance probe into the Jang-E-Azadi Memorial at Kartarpur, in which Hamdard had played a key role. The vigilance bureau named Hamdard in an FIR registered last May. Mann and Hamdard didn’t see eye to eye after that for two years... until Friday, when the two came face to face at the last rites (antim ardas) of Resham Kaur, wife of former BJP MP Hans Raj Hans, at a gurdwara in Jalandhar. Mann and Hamdard hugged each other on the occasion.
Harpreet Bajwa
Our correspondent in Chandigarh
hsbajwa73@gmail.com