A battle of words ensued on social media after the Shiv Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday pulled down alleged illegal alterations at the Bandra bungalow of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut.
An enraged Kangana posted a series of tweets, launching attack on the Shiv Sena and even naming Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in her video statement.
"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.
In one tweet with pictures of BMC workers demolishing a structure, Kangana wrote, "Pakistan.... #deathofdemocracy."
Her remarks calling Mumbai Pakistan triggered her critics who compared her action with that of Bolywood star Shah Rukh Khan. The BMC had demolished an illegal ramp outside his bungalow ‘Mannat’ in Bandra west, which he used to park his vanity van.
Among those who hit out at Kangana was Congressman Gaurav Pandhi.
Pandhi, who describes himself as National Coordinator, Digital Communications & Social Media at Congress, said in a tweet, "When illegal structure outside Shahrukh Khan's home was demolished by BMC, he didn't rant against the then CM @Dev_Fadnavis and nor did he insult Maharashtra calling it Pakistan. There is this difference between true patriots & farzi nationalists."
Ranaut had even last week compared Mumbai to Pakistan- occupied-Kashmir (PoK), a statement that had drawn the ire of the ruling Shiv Sena. She had said that she feared Mumbai Police more than the "movie mafia", and would prefer security either from Himachal Pradesh or the Centre.
Mumbai HC stays demolition
According to a civic official, the demolition at Ranaut's Pali Hill office started around 11 am and continued for the next one-and-a-half hours, before the high court's order came.
Ranaut, however, got relief from the Bombay High Court which stayed the demolition till Thursday saying the civic body's conduct was "malafide" and "deplorable".
A division bench of Justices SJ Kathawalla and RI Chagla asked why the BMC gave only 24 hours to Ranaut to respond to its stop-work notice and went on to take action when she was outside Maharashtra.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Ranaut challenging a notice issued by the BMC for "illegal' construction at her bungalow.
Talking to reporters outside the actor's office after the stay order, her lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui later said, "The BMC is lying. It's lying on record (about illegal construction at the bungalow). They said they have given stop-work notice. But such notice is given when the construction process is underway."
