My Mumbai is PoK now: Kangana after BMC demolishes office
Ahead of her much-publicized visit to Mumbai, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut likened the city to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, once again, after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished her office on Wednesday. Tweeting pictures from the site, Kangana said democracy has died in the country. In yet another post, she said she is never wrong and that her "enemies" prove her right all the time.
Background: Why are Maharashtra government and Kangana at loggerheads?
A major Bollywood star, Kangana, has been berating the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government and Mumbai Police over actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. She evoked sharp criticism from Sena's Sanjay Raut, who advised her not to return to Mumbai if she felt "threatened." In response, Kangana said his words imply that Mumbai has now turned into PoK, a comment which triggered massive outrage.
As war-of-words raged, BMC took action against "illegal" activities
The bitter exchange of words between the Maharashtra government and Kangana took a new turn when BMC, also governed by Sena, entered the scene. The civic body flagged plenty of illegal alterations at her office and this week pasted a notice at the premises giving her 24 hours to respond. Kangana maintained that she had the requisite permissions for making changes in the property.
After pasting notice yesterday, BMC began demolition work today
Yesterday, Kangana tweeted pictures of BMC's notice saying that due to support from her social media friends, the civic body didn't "come with bulldozers." She said, "They stuck a notice to stop leakage work that is going on in the office." However, today, BMC officials arrived and began the demolition work. Before the episode started, Kangana likened BMC officials to Mughal emperor Babur's army.
Death of democracy, tweeted Kangana
Ram Mandir will be constructed again, said Kangana before demolition
In the pictures which Kangana posted on Twitter, BMC officials were seen hammering the property. In one picture, a person was seen overturning a table. Kangana, who anticipated that her office would be demolished, wrote on Twitter earlier today that the property was akin to Ayodhya's Ram Mandir. "Do remember Babur, Ram Mandir will be constructed again. Jai Shree Ram," she tweeted.
It's not a building but Ram Mandir for me: Kangana
"This is what fascism looks like"
Responding to BMC's claims about illegal construction, she also wrote, "There is no illegal construction in my house, also the government has banned any demolitions in COVID till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like. (sic)"
Meanwhile, Kangana will arrive in Mumbai soon
Earlier in the day, Kangana left for Mumbai from Himachal Pradesh, her native state where she had been staying for weeks. Days ago, the Union Home Ministry accorded the elite Y-plus category security to her after Sena's representatives threatened her. Expressing gratitude towards Home Minister Amit Shah, Kangana said he honored her self-respect. She also said truthful voices can no longer be muzzled.
