Bombay HC raps BJP leaders over Dia Mirza Diwali video; Fadnavis calls issue small

As Diwali nears, there is an atmosphere of great enthusiasm across the country. In Mumbai, however, an unexpected controversy has erupted over the festival. Actor Dia Mirza had made a video appealing to people not to burst firecrackers during Diwali, and it is now being widely discussed. The matter escalated after BJP leaders objected to it. The Bombay High Court has now issued important directions and sharply rebuked the Mumbai civic body and BJP leaders.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had launched a special awareness campaign to rein in the city's rising pollution. Several well-known people, including Dia Mirza and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, took part in it. As part of this campaign, Dia Mirza wished citizens a happy Diwali and also appealed to them not to burst firecrackers.

BJP leader Amit Satam expressed displeasure over the video. He objected, saying Dia Mirza was not needed to teach people how to celebrate Diwali. The civic body then removed her video from its social media accounts, which caused a major uproar on social media as well.

The Bombay High Court took note of the matter and expressed displeasure at the statements of the BJP leaders. A bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Dr Neela Gokhale pointed out that India is a secular country. The civic body had made the video to raise awareness among people that firecrackers should not be burst on public roads. The court therefore directed that the video that was taken down be posted again on social media.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has reacted to the controversy, his first response. He said he did not think the court had rebuked the BJP leaders. He said the matter had not actually gone to court in the first place, and that the decision to remove the video was the Mumbai civic body's.

Fadnavis further said that Dia Mirza was not a big leader of the country and that the issue was so small that it was not a question at his level. In other words, he said, Dia Mirza was not a major leader and the issue was a small one.

The subject has come into discussion from both sides, with pollution on one side and religious sentiment on the other. All eyes are now on how social media reacts once Dia Mirza's video is posted again.