BMC removes Dia Mirza's eco-friendly Diwali video after BJP objection

The BMC deleted Dia Mirza's unpaid anti-pollution Diwali appeal after BJP leaders objected. The move sparked opposition criticism over political pressure and selective treatment.

In Short

• BMC retained similar campaign videos featuring other actors and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane
• Mirza recorded the environmental appeal voluntarily and accepted no payment
• Bombay High Court directions restrict firecrackers on public roads and footpaths

Actor Dia Mirza’s video for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s eco-friendly Diwali campaign triggered a political row after the civic body removed it from social media following objections from BJP leaders, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

The BMC had asked citizens to avoid firecrackers and celebrate an environment-friendly Diwali in line with a Bombay High Court directive amid rising air pollution in Mumbai. It had enlisted several celebrities, including Mirza, for the campaign.

Mirza’s video, in which she urged people to avoid noise and air pollution, was removed on Sunday. However, campaign videos featuring actors Madhuri Dixit and Nishigandha Wad and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane remained on the BMC’s X and Instagram pages.

The civic body, led by Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, removed Mirza’s video within hours of an objection from BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam. “We don’t need lessons on how to celebrate #Diwali from @deespeak. Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culture,” Satam wrote.

Officials told PTI that the BMC had approached Mirza to join the campaign against firecrackers. She voluntarily recorded and sent the video appeal without charging a fee.

A civic official said the video was posted on the BMC’s official X account at 8.25 am on Sunday and removed later that night. In the appeal, Mirza asked people to keep the environment and public health in mind while celebrating Diwali.

Officials said Mirza was among the most suitable celebrities for the campaign because of her work on environmental issues, adding that they had not expected the backlash. The UN Environment Programme has appointed her as its Goodwill Ambassador for India.

Reacting to the removal, Mirza wrote on social media: “Koi paise nahi liye hain. Bhalai ka zamana hee nahi raha,” which means, “I did not charge any fee for the Diwali campaign. There is no goodness left in this era.”

Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde alleged that Mirza had always sided with divisive forces and had trolled Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the NEET examination issue. “She has always been anti-Hindu. We have blacklisted her,” Tawde said.

“We do not need Dia Mirza to teach how Hindus should celebrate Diwali. We know how to celebrate our Diwali. You are pursuing your own agenda, a selective agenda, and your overall stance is becoming very clear. It shows that you are against Hindutva. That is why we have strongly opposed the video,” she added.

Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi questioned the decision to remove the appeal, saying he found nothing objectionable in Mirza’s message.

The BMC’s post accompanying the video had said that, in accordance with the High Court’s directions, bursting firecrackers on public roads, lanes and footpaths was strictly prohibited.

The removal drew criticism from opposition parties, while BJP leaders accused Mirza of selectively targeting Hindu festivals. Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson and former mayor Kishori Pednekar asked whether the civic administration had “become a slave of the BJP or its Mumbai president”.

Pednekar alleged that Satam’s interference in the civic body’s daily functioning was increasing and said the administration should not have yielded to what she called his “communal agenda”.

MNS corporator Yashwant Killedar said that if Satam was so fond of firecrackers, BJP office-bearers should burst as many as they wished outside his residence. “Our Diwali can be celebrated even by lighting a single lamp and a lantern. Does the BJP approve of Satam’s brand of ‘hypocritical Hindutva’ that supports bursting firecrackers in the name of religion?” he asked.

BJP minister Nitesh Rane said: “Dia Mirza tweeted about Diwali, but she never tweets or offers such advice during Eid, Muharram or Bakri Eid.” He added: “People like her are against the Sanatan Hindu religion. I will discuss this issue with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and focus on preventing such matters in the future.”

Shiv Sena spokesperson Shaina NC said: “Dia Mirza, whose name itself means light, should know that the Festival of Lights refers to Diwali. Everyone knows the need to be mindful of pollution and avoid bursting firecrackers.”

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said Diwali could lose some of its significance if firecrackers were not burst, but added that there must also be concern about excessive pollution.

Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad alleged that the BMC had removed the video under BJP pressure and demanded the removal of Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide. She said the municipal commissioner, as a civil servant, was responsible for protecting the constitutional values of equality and secularism.

Gaikwad also demanded that the BMC immediately restore Mirza’s video and issue an unconditional public apology to the actor.

NCP (SP) national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said the civic body had approached Mirza to endorse the High Court’s directions and spread awareness about pollution. “Ameet Satam should stop thinking that he is above the law, just because he is in the government. The BMC asked Dia Mirza to endorse and voice the Hon’ble High Court’s directives. What was Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde doing when Mirza’s video was being made by the BMC?” he said.

The dispute centres on the BMC’s decision to remove Mirza’s unpaid appeal against noise and air pollution while retaining similar campaign videos by other celebrities, prompting criticism from opposition parties and support for the move from BJP leaders.

- Ends