- Bombay HC orders BMC to re-upload Dia Mirza’s anti-firecracker video.
- CM Fadnavis calls the controversy “very small” and “not at his level”
- He says BMC social media managers were free to decide what content to keep or delete
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been ordered by the Bombay High Court to re-upload Dia Mirza's anti-firecracker video on Tuesday. Soon after, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reacted to the court's verdict. Calling the issue "very small, " Fadnavis said that such matters are "not at his level."
Fadnavis's Take On Bombay HC's Verdict
The Maharashtra CM said that those managing the BMC's social media account were free to decide whether to keep content or delete it. Therefore, the Mumbai civic body itself decided to take down the actress's firecracker awareness video.
Speaking to the media in Pune, the Maharashtra CM said, "The video was deleted at the BMC’s discretion. When managing any social media handle, the decision about what to retain and what to remove rests with the person managing it. They took that decision."
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Fadnavis Down Plays Dia Mirza's Role in the Campaign
He also said that Dia Mirza might be a well-known actress but not a major national figure enough that such issues would bother the state. "I don’t think this is an issue at our level. You should ask us about issues concerning our level, rather than matters of lesser importance," he said.
Dia Mirza's Diwali Campaign Controversy
The BMC started a campaign before Diwali to encourage people to celebrate in a way that is safer for the environment. As part of it, well-known faces like Dia Mirza, Madhuri Dixit, Nishigandha Wad and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane featured in videos asking people to celebrate responsibly. In her message, Dia Mirza spoke about the damage firecrackers cause and stressed the need to protect the environment by keeping air and noise pollution in check. The campaign was launched around the same time the Bombay High Court was pushing public figures to support Maharashtra’s anti-firecracker drive. The civic body also reminded people of the court’s order that bans bursting crackers on public roads, lanes and footpaths.
The campaign, however, soon ran into political opposition. BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam objected to Dia Mirza’s inclusion in a Diwali-related message and questioned her role in it. After his criticism, the BMC removed her video from its social media handles within a few hours. Although, the videos of the other celebrities who were part of the same campaign continued to stay online.
What Did The Bombay HC Say?
The High Court observed that the incident was "unfortunate" and had been given a 'different colour'. "We are disturbed with the comments made by certain persons in regard to celebrities who had participated and assisted in public cause being taken up by BMC of creating awareness of ill effects of bursting firecrackers by the noise and air pollution. In our opinion, BMC took very effective steps, and each one of them (celebrities) have given this message to nurture togetherness. We certainly believe when with such solemnity such task was undertaken, there was no room for factionalism," the HC ruled.