Kangana Ranaut interview: ‘Joining politics had been on my mind for past few years’

Actor Kangana Ranaut, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s nominee to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, began her election campaign with a roadshow from Banoha to her native village Bhambla.

In an interview with Dar Ovais, the Bollywood actor spoke about her decision to jump in the political arena and her priorities. Edited excerpts:

Why did you decide to join politics?

Joining politics had been on my mind for the past few years. People gave me so much success and it was time to fight for their welfare. From raising issues of pay parity and women empowerment, the time has now come to fight a bigger battle for the people. For this, I needed a larger platform and it was natural for me to align with the BJP.

Who is your role model?

I admire Swami Vivekananda, who instilled a fair sense of nationalism in me and Sadhguru ji, who has inspired me to become a karmayogi. Another person who influenced my mind, my thinking and perspective is Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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What will be your priorities for Mandi?

Right now, honestly, we have been given the task to win by maximum margin and once that happens, I would have a voice to raise for Mandi. There is a lot of work to be done in every department, such as schools, hospitals and roads. I will become the voice of people of Mandi in Parliament and will fight for their rights.

How do you see Congress’s criticism of your absence during last year’s floods?

I am like you all. I am just janata here. People have chosen their representatives and they were hoping to see them by their side in the hour of crisis. People in power are answerable for that and not me.

Is Congress leader Supriya Shrinate’s social media post a closed chapter now?

It is up to the Election Commission of India to decide.