Office razed, ‘sympathy wave’ for Kangana puts Sena on back foot

High-voltage drama was witnessed here on Wednesday when Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) bulldozers razed to the ground the “illegal office” of actor Kangana Ranaut while she was airborne from Chandigarh to Mumbai. As Ranaut hit back with a video-message targeting Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the Shiv Sena, the civic action was slammed by ruling allies Nationalist Congress Party, Congress and Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).Apparently taken aback by the backlash, the Shiv Sena quietly restrained its activists from any more protests as it would generate a “sympathy wave” for Ranaut who remained in an aggressive form.

 Moving swiftly, Ranaut’s lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui approached the Bombay High Court where a division bench comprising Justice S.J. Kathawalla and Justice R.I. Chagla stayed the demolition, calling the conduct of the BMC “highly deplorable”, and asked the BMC to file a reply and posted the matter for detailed hearing on Thursday at 3 pm. In his forceful plea, Siddiqui challenged the BMC action, terming it “illegal, arbitrary, mala fide, without application of mind, unreasonable, improper and violating principles of natural justice”, and that there were no illegalities in the office that was virtually torn apart by the civic demolition squad. The HC wants to hear a moot question on how the civic staff entered the premises.

Meanwhile, NCP leader Sharad Pawar suggested that though the BMC acted “as per rules”, the timing of the demolition drive had sent out a wrong message to the public, and had given Kangana Ranaut “unnecessary publicity”. He also said that the media should ignore Ranaut’s comparisons of Mumbai with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or anybody else, “since the state’s people know about the work of the police”. The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier approved Y-plus security to the Queen actress after she received threats for comparing Mumbai with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadanvis said that there is no democracy left in Maharahstra. Even Union minister Ramdas Athawale said that since Kangana Ranaut has raised her voice in the Sushant Singh Rajput case investigation, the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government is targeting her and it amounts to vindictive politics.

Ranaut hit out at Maharashtra CM Thackeray over demolition of structures at her office in Mumbai in a video in which she addressed him as “tu” (you). “Uddhav Thackeray, tujhe kya lagta hai? (What do you think?) That you colluded along with the film mafia, demolished my home and took revenge on me? My home was demolished today, your arrogance will crumble tomorrow,” Kangana Ranaut said.

“This is the wheel of time, remember, it never stays the same,” warned the 33-yearold actor, hours after Mumbai’s civic body BMC demolished what it called illegal alternations at her office in Pali Hills.

In her video, she pledged to make a film on Kashmiri Pandits, saying she finally understood what they must have suffered. “You have done me a favour. I knew what Kashmiri Pandits had gone through but I felt it too today. I vow to this country that I will make a film not only on Ayodhya, but also Kashmir,” she said.

Wondering if “Kangana’s office was illegal or the BMC’s act of demolishing it”, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam warned: “Politics of vendetta has a very short lifespan… By running after one office, Shiv Sena’s ‘demolition’ may start.”

 Meanwhile, attempting to bring the curtains down on the controversy, Sena MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said: “I have never threatened Kangana Ranaut… I merely expressed my anger at Mumbai being compared with POK… The matter is over and she is welcome to live in Mumbai.”

Stoking the fires further, Ranaut made another noholds-barred evening tweet: “Come Uddhav Thackeray and Karan Johar Gang… You broke my workplace, come now break my house then break my face and body, I want world to see clearly what you anyway do underhand, whether I live or die I will expose you regardless.”

 With inputs from agencies