The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation took down Dia Mirza's Diwali campaign video following public criticism from BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam. The campaign sought to limit firecracker use and curb noise pollution during the festive period. Satam argued that residents do not require lessons regarding cultural traditions and accused Mirza of holding ties to anti-India forces. Meanwhile, civic clips featuring Madhuri Dixit, Nishigandha Wad, and Ajinkya Rahane remain available online because Satam deemed them representatives of art and sports.
Key points
Civic awareness drives face intense political resistance when messaging overlaps with tra…: Civic awareness drives face intense political resistance when messaging overlaps with traditional cultural celebrations.
The selective removal of campaign media demonstrates how individual celebrity backgrounds…: The selective removal of campaign media demonstrates how individual celebrity backgrounds can dictate official municipal communications.
Ruling party objections can prompt swift municipal backtracking even without a formal dir…: Ruling party objections can prompt swift municipal backtracking even without a formal direct request to remove civic materials.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
MUMBAI: The BJP, the ruling party in the BMC, has forced the civic administration to take down a video featuring actor Dia Mirza, which was uploaded by @mybmc on its social media page as part of its Diwali campaign urging citizens to avoid firecrackers and noise pollution.
The BMC’s campaign also features actors Madhuri Dixit and Nishigandha Wad, and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane. Their videos, however, continue to remain on the civic body’s social media page.
BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam objected to Mirza’s video in a post on X, tagging @mybmc and writing: “We don’t need lessons on how to celebrate #Diwali from @deespeak. Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culture.”
When contacted, Satam said he had not asked the BMC to pull down any post. However, he alleged that Mirza had been associated with anti-India forces and had sympathised with those trying to spread anarchy.
When asked why he had not objected to the videos featuring other actors and a cricketer who are also part of the campaign, Satam said that, according to him, they represented art and…
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