Bollywood actress turned politician Kangana Ranaut has gotten people talking with her blunt take on the financial side of being an MP. The BJP representative from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi constituency didn't mince words when she called politics a "very expensive hobby" rather than something you can make a living from - at least if you're trying to stay honest.
In a recent chat with Times Now, Ranaut broke down the math that most politicians probably don't want to discuss publicly. After covering the basics, she says MPs are left with just Rs 50,000-60,000 from their monthly salary of about Rs 1.24 lakh.
"If you are an MP, you can't have it as a profession because you need a job. You need a job if you are an honest person," she said, putting the financial reality right out there.
Ranaut gave some concrete examples of what it costs to do the job properly. Travelling to her constituency with staff and security can run into lakhs, especially when you're covering 300-400 km between locations. It's not like you can just hop on a bus and call it a day.
This is something most people don't think about when they criticise politicians. The sheer logistics of representing a constituency, especially in a state like Himachal Pradesh with its challenging terrain, can eat up a significant chunk of an MP's official salary.
She pointed out that plenty of MPs have side hustles to keep things afloat. "A lot of MPs have businesses, they are working as lawyers," she mentioned, bringing up examples like lyricist Javed Akhtar, who kept his creative work going while serving as a Rajya Sabha MP from 2010-2016.
Ranaut also didn't hold back about feeling shortchanged in her political career so far. Despite her background as a filmmaker, writer, and Padma Bhushan recipient, she didn't get the cabinet position she was hoping for.
"The kind of profile that I come from, I am a filmmaker, writer, and author. I also have the fourth highest civilian honour, I am a Padma Bhushan," she said, making it clear she thought she deserved better placement in the government hierarchy.
It's the kind of honest admission that most politicians would probably keep to themselves, but it highlights how different the reality of politics can be from what high-profile newcomers might expect.
Perhaps the most telling part of Ranaut's comments was her description of the day-to-day reality of being an MP. She's gone from dealing with film productions to fielding complaints about broken drains and damaged roads.
"Somebody's naali (drain) is broken, and I'm like, 'But I am an MP and these people are coming to me with panchayat-level problems,'" she shared. It's a perfect example of how public expectations don't always match up with what different levels of government are actually supposed to handle.
She's described the whole experience as more like social service than her previous career, and admitted she's not sure she's "enjoying" it the way she thought she would.
While Ranaut is speaking from her own experience, her comments touch on a bigger issue that doesn't get discussed much. If politics is financially unsustainable for honest people, then we're saying that only the wealthy or the corrupt can afford to serve in elected office.
That's a problem for any democracy that wants to represent all kinds of people, not just those who can afford to take a pay cut for public service.
Her willingness to talk openly about these challenges might do some good. Most politicians stick to talking points about "serving the people" without mentioning that it might require taking a financial hit to do so effectively.
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