After the Mumbai civic body razed the 'illegal' part of Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut’s bungalow at the posh Pali Hill area of Mumbai on Wednesday, the 33-year-old actor, referring to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray as “tujhe”, declared an all out war against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
“Uddhav Thackeray, tujhe kya lagta hai? (what do you think?)… colluded along with the film mafia, demolished my home and took revenge on me? My home was demolished today, your arrogance will crumble tomorrow," Ranaut said in a 1.8 minute video message after reaching Mumbai from her home state of Himachal Pradesh.
Armed with big drill machines, hammers, sledgehammers and crowbars and backed up by a JCB machine, the demolition squad of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) landed at Bungalow No 5, Chetak Row House located at Nargis Dutt Road at Pali Hill. The bungalow houses her company, Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd, where the alterations have been carried out.
However, Kangana’s lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui moved the Bombay High Court and got a 24-hour stay on the demolition. The court has sought a reply from the BMC, which it would hear on Thursday.
“The action of the BMC is illegal, arbitrary, mala fide and without application of mind, in violation of principles of natural justice, unreasonable and improper,” Kangana's lawyer told the division bench comprising justice SJ Kathawalla and justice RI Chagla.
During the day, Kangana sent out over a dozen tweets – describing Mumbai as Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir – provoking the Shiv Sena led MVA government and the BMC that the saffron party has been controlling for more than quarter of a century.
Even as the BMC was demolishing the 'illegal' structures, Kangana, who was en route to Mumbai, compared her office to Ram mandir and said that Babar is demolishing it.
Comparing the BMC officials to “Babur army”, she said that history will repeat itself and she will reconstruct her 'mandir'.
"This is the wheel of time, remember, it never stays the same,” she said, adding that she feels what had happened with Kashmiri pundits. “Today, I promise that I will make a film on Kashmir like Ayodhya,” she said, adding: “Uddhav Thackeray….I feel good that it has happened to me…it has a meaning,” she said.
As she landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, there was a huge crowd of Shiv Sainiks on one side raising slogans and RPI and a faction of Karni Sena to support her. Kangana, who has been accorded Y-plus category security, was whisked away from the VIP gate so that she does not come face to face with the crowd.
Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar said that Kangana’s comments regularly attacking Mumbai, Shiv Sena leaders and Mumbai police have not gone down well. “The demolition is as per law,” she said.
According to the BMC, renovation and finishing work was underway at the 'unauthorised' portion of the premises which is beyond the approved plan which includes — toilet 'unauthorisedly' converted into office cabin on ground floor, 'unauthorised' kitchen constructed in store room on ground floor, 'unauthorised' pantry, new toilets were 'unauthorisedly' constructed, beside staircase inside store and another in parking area on ground floor.
तुमने जो किया अच्छा किया 🙂#DeathOfDemocracy pic.twitter.com/TBZiYytSEw
— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020