Mayor Ritu Tawde attacks Dia Mirza after BMC pulls anti-firecracker video
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Mayor Ritu Tawde defended the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s removal of actress Dia Mirza’s anti-firecracker video, insisting the move was not religious and blaming what she called miscommunication, while BJP leader Ameet Satam had already raised objections.
Mayor Ritu Tawde said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) withdrew a video featuring actress Dia Mirza that urged citizens not to burst firecrackers during Diwali. The video, commissioned by the civic body as part of a court-ordered anti-pollution campaign, was taken down after BJP Mumbai chief Ameet Satam objected, stating that the city did not need “lessons on how to celebrate Diwali” from Mirza.
Tawde insisted that the decision had nothing to do with the actress’s religion, but her comments also leaned into a familiar political attack line, saying Mirza has “always taken an anti-Hindu and anti-government stand,” which she claimed had triggered the backlash. She described the removal as the result of “miscommunication from the administration” and said she would discuss the matter with the BMC commissioner to prevent similar incidents.
Other celebrity messages, including those by Madhuri Dixit, cricketer Ajinkya Rahane and actress Nishigandha Wad, remain on the BMC’s platforms. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale noted that while Mirza belongs to the Muslim community, the issue does not concern any particular religious group, citing the Constitution’s guarantee of equal rights for all faiths.
The BMC had launched the celebrity campaign following a Bombay High Court directive to curb firecracker use after rising air-pollution levels during festivals.