Mumbai, September 9 : The war of words between Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut and Shiv Sena took a grave turn on Wednesday as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation demolished a part of her bungalow at Pali Hill in Bandra.
The BMC said that the demolition work was carried on the illegal alterations in the bungalow, however, the actor and her lawyer claimed that the corporation was lying and she was being targeted because she spoke against ‘move mafia’ in ‘Bullywood’. In a series of tweets, Kangana Ranaut accused Uddhav Thackeray of cruelty and compared her plight with Kashmiri Pandits.
The BMC action against the actor’s property kicked up a storm on social media as several politicians and Bollywood personalities slammed the municipal body for ‘selective action’ against Ranaut.
While the BJP accused the Uddhav Thackeray government of indulging in vendetta politics, the NCP leaders said that the BMC was justified in demolishing the property if they followed the law. Several Bollywood actors and filmmakers, including those who have been vocal critics of Kangana, slammed the BMC for demolishing the actor’s office.
However, the BMC seems to be undeterred by the Twitter din as it has requested the court to lift a stay on the demolition of the building where Kangana Ranaut residence is located.
BMC demolishes Kangana’s bungalow
The BMC, which is ruled by Shiv Sena, on Wednesday pulled down the alleged illegal alterations at the Bandra bungalow of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut before the Bombay High Court ordered a stay on the process.
The BMC officials started the demolition at around 11 am. In the next one-and-a-half hours, they pulled down most of the alleged structural changes made on the ground and the first floors of the property. These included a toilet on the ground floor and a meeting room on the first floor. A balcony extension on the first floor was also brought down.
On Tuesday morning, the BMC had issued a stop-work notice to the “ongoing renovation and finishing work” of Ranaut’s office on Nargis Dutt Road. On Wednesday morning, the civic body posted another notice outside her bungalow, informing her about the action it would be taking.
Kangana hits back, accuses Uddhav of cruelty
Kangana, who returned to Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon from her home state Himachal Pradesh, tweeted some of the videos and photos of the demolition process. “I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now,” Kangana tweeted, soon after the demolition work began.
Taking on the Shiv Sena, Kangana called her home Ram mandir, referred to several movie celebrities as ‘Bullywood’ and described herself as the daughter of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Addressing Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, Ranaut posted a video message saying his “ego will be destroyed” the way her Bandra home was demolished.
The actor said she is working on a project on Ayodhya but now understands the pain of Kashmir Pandits and will also make a movie on their plight.
Ranaut, known for her provocative statements, again compared Mumbai with Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) after the Shiv Sena-led BMC demolished “illegal alterations” at her Bandra bungalow.
“Uddhav Thackeray, ‘tujhe kya lagta hai’ (what do you think)?. You think you have taken a huge revenge by destroying my house in collusion with the movie mafia. Today my house is destroyed, tomorrow it will be your ego. The wheels of time keep changing, she said in a video message in Hindi, referring to the chief minister in the informal tu’ rather than the more respectful aap’.
“Uddhav Thackeray, this cruelty and terrorism, it is good that it happened to me because there is some meaning to it,” she said in the video.
In a series of posts earlier in the day, Ranaut said there has been no “illegal construction” in her house. “… also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like #DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut,” the actor tweeted.
In another post, she wrote, “I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy”.
This is the second time she has referred to Mumbai as PoK, a statement that sparked the spat with the Shiv Sena.
Ranaut also shared few photographs of BMC officials at her house, with the captions “Pakistan…#deathofdemocracy” and “Babur and his army #deathofdemocracy”. The actor posted past photos from the building, calling it her own “Ram Mandir”. (Source : India Today)
