200 days of Modi govt: First-time BJP MP Kirron Kher sharply focused on her constituency

Actor-turned-BJP MP Kirron Kher insists she is not a fish out of water in Delhi’s power corridors. “I am well-informed about parliamentary affairs. My attendance in Lok Sabha is almost 100%, and I have spoken no less than five times so far,” she says, dismissing a perception that she would continue to focus more on Mumbai, the city that made her an actor.

“By the way, I am not from Mumbai any more. I am settled in Chandigarh,” clarifies Kher, who studied in Chandigarh and Delhi before moving to Mumbai to earn a living out of theatres and films. She joined the BJP in 2009.



After defeating scandal-hit former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal in Chandigarh, Kher has been sharply focused on her constituency in the past 200 days.

Her followers claim Kher must get credit for Chandigarh’s stellar performance in opening of bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) and the recent increase in seats in Government Medical College, Chandigarh.

“I have been working on a big programme on safety of women which I will be able to divulge only in January. This is a work in progress,” says Kher who is also a member of a parliamentary standing committee on home affairs.

She says safety of women in the country, and in Delhi in particular, is a concern. “I did my schooling in Delhi. I love Delhi. It’s a wonderful place to live in. What we need to do collectively is to make it safer,” she says claiming that she has faced no difficulty in adjusting to Delhi life.

But what about her election promise of building a film city in Chandigarh? “This is very much on. But let me address other issues like healthcare, drinking water, electricity, safety and traffic issues first.” The reel life clearly is not Kher’s first priority anymore.