‘Dia Mirza is anti-Hindu, trolls Modi’: Mayor lashes out after BMC removes actor’s anti-firecracker campaign video

The video, featuring Mirza’s appeal to citizens not to burst firecrackers or contribute to air and noise pollution, was removed after BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam objected to the actor’s participation in the anti-firecracker campaign

Mumbai: Mayor Ritu Tawde on Monday lashed out at actor Dia Mirza over her participation in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) firecracker free Diwali campaign, saying she did not need to tell Hindus how to celebrate their festival. Tawde also reprimanded the BMC administration for including Mirza in the campaign, saying the decision was taken without consulting the civic body’s elected political leadership.

Actor Dia Mirza

“Dia Mirza does not need to teach us how Hindus should celebrate Diwali. We know how to celebrate our own Diwali. Her selective agenda is becoming increasingly evident. That is why we opposed her video,” Tawde told reporters after the BMC removed Mirza’s campaign video from its website and social media accounts.

The video, featuring Mirza’s appeal to citizens not to burst firecrackers or contribute to air and noise pollution, was removed after BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam objected to the actor’s participation in the anti-firecracker campaign.

“We don’t need lessons on how to celebrate #Diwali from @deespeak. Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culture,” Satam wrote in a post on social media platform X, tagging the BMC.

Tawde referred to Satam’s post and said it represented the position of all BJP corporators.

The mayor accused Mirza of repeatedly opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his initiatives, trolling him, and taking positions against Hindutva. She clarified that though Mumbai belongs to people of all religions and she and other BJP corporators worked for everyone, their agenda was Hindutva.

“If anyone speaks against Hindutva, Hindus or Hindu culture, every BJP worker will take to the streets and give them a fitting response,” she said.

The mayor said that she was unaware of Mirza’s association with the BMC’s campaign and insisted that names of celebrities proposed to be included in civic initiatives must be brought to her notice and approved by her in advance.

“The BMC administration must understand that there is an elected Mayor in office now; this is no longer the administrator’s rule,” she said. “There has been a 100% mistake on their part. They uploaded a list of celebrities without showing it to us or taking our approval.”

Tawde further criticised the civic administration for having to remove the campaign video following the controversy, saying, “This should serve as a message to the administration that it should refrain from such tasks and bring whatever it wants to do to the notice of the Mayor and all corporators. Had this been done, there would have been no need to delete the video.”

Deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena questioned the objections to Mirza’s campaign video. He said the actor had done nothing wrong by urging citizens to refrain from bursting firecrackers and saw no reason for the removal of her video from the BMC portal.

Municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide did not respond to HT’s requests for a comment.

Congress objects to selective removal of Mirza’s video

Congress group leader in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Ashraf Azmi on Monday objected to the removal of actor Dia Mirza’s anti-firecracker campaign video from the civic body’s website and social media handles.

In a letter to the civic administration, Azmi pointed out that though videos featuring other celebrities such as Madhuri Dixit and Ajinkya Rahane were retained, Mirza’s appeal urging citizens to celebrate Diwali responsibly and minimise air and noise pollution was removed following objections by Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam.

Azmi referred to the controversy as an instance of politicisation of public awareness campaigns, and said that environmental protection and public health should not be viewed through a religious or political lens. He also criticised mayor Ritu Tawde’s remarks describing Mirza as anti-Hindu and her declaration about the actor being excluded from future civic campaigns.

Azmi said that citizens have a democratic right to question government policies and express dissent, and disagreement with the prime minister or a political party should not be equated with being anti-national or anti-Hindu.

Citing Mumbai’s worsening air quality, he said the BMC should focus on pollution-control measures and environmental governance rather than political controversies.

Azmi sought a written explanation from the BMC administration regarding the selective removal of Mirza’s video and the decision to ban her from future civic campaigns. He also sought restoration of the video on the BMC’s official platforms and urged the civic administration to ensure that future public awareness initiatives are guided by public interest rather than political affiliations.