Kangna Ranaut at Chandigarh airport on Wednesday. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)Kangana Ranaut Live News Updates: Hours after meeting CM Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said that Kangana Ranaut “episode” is now over for his party. “The Kangana Ranaut episode is over. We have even forgotten it. We are busy with our daily, government and social work now,” PTI quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court Thursday adjourned Kangana Ranaut’s office demolition matter till September 22 after the actor’s lawyer sought time to respond to the affidavit filed by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The BMC today filed a reply in the court to the plea filed by actor Kangana Ranaut challenging the civic body’s partial demolition of her Pali Hill office.
The court Wednesday stayed the demolition of alleged unauthorised structures at the office, hours after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had started the exercise.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress President Sharad Pawar Tuesday broke ranks with ally Sena to question the BMC’s action. “I don’t know if there was anything illegal (about the office)…It won’t be appropriate to comment on this without having proper information. Illegal construction isn’t a new thing in Mumbai. In view of the prevalent situation, the BMC’s actions give space to raise doubt in people’s minds. However, BMC has its own rules and officers may have found it appropriate to take the action,” Pawar said.
Bulldozer outside Kangana Ranaut's Mumbai office
Maharashtra Governor B S Koshyari has expressed displeasure over the handling of the Kangana Ranaut episode and the manner in which the Mumbai civic body razed "illegal alterations" at her bungalow, sources close to him said on Thursday.
The governor summoned Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's principal advisor Ajoy Mehta on Wednesday, when the demolition was carried out, and conveyed his displeasure over the entire matter, the sources said.
"He (Mehta) was summoned by the governor and the displeasure was conveyed to him," they added. (PTI)
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said that Kangana Ranaut "episode" is now over for his party. He made the remark after meeting Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray here.
"The Kangana Ranaut episode is over. We have even forgotten it. We are busy with our daily, government and social work now," PTI quoted him as saying. He said he met the chief minister to discuss some party-related programmes.
Amid some media reports, which claimed that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar have expressed displeasure over the episode, the Sena MP said it was "wrong information". "Be it Pawar saheb or Sonia ji, nobody has made a statement expressing displeasure," Raut added.
Actor Kangana Ranaut arrives at her office in Mumbai, where demolition work was carried out by BMC on Wednesday.
In its reply to Kangana's plea challenging the demolition of her office, the BMC today told the Bombay High Court that the records showed the actor had been carrying out substantial alterations in her Bandra property 'contrary to the sanctioned plan' and its action of demolition was justified and was without any 'malafide'.
The Bombay High Court Thursday adjourned Kangana Ranaut’s office demolition matter till September 22 after the actor’s lawyer sought time to respond to the affidavit filed by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The BMC today filed a reply to the plea filed by Kangana challenging the civic body’s partial demolition of her Pali Hill office.
The Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association (IMPPA) has condemned the demolition of Kangana Ranaut's office by the BMC, saying that the action was in poor light.
IMPPA president TP Aggarwal said the action was neither "good for the government" nor for the "Queen" star. "The action taken by the Maharashtra government or BMC is absolutely wrong and should be condemned," Aggarwal said in a statement.
"It never happens that you demolish a property on such short notice of one day... If Kangana's house is wrongly constructed demolish it. But, why only Kangana?"
"There are unauthorised constructions throughout Mumbai. Break them as well. BMC should also abide by the law while doing anything," he added.
However, the IMPPA head also criticised the actor for the comments about drug abuse and nepotistic culture in the industry following the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. (PTI)
"A lot of my Marathi friends cried over the phone yesterday. A lot of them gave me moral support. Some others also sent me food but I couldn't accept them due to security reasons. The actions of the state government should not hurt the pride of the Maharashtrians. Jai Maharashtra," she tweeted.
Taking to Twitter, Ranaut today said: I want to be clear that the people of Maharashtra do not like the actions of the state government. A lot of Marathi well wishers as those from Himachal Pradesh as well as from across the globe have called me. Do not think that I am not loved and respected."
Mumbai police have made security arrangements outside Ranaut's residence in suburban Khar and her bungalow-cum-office in Bandra, an official said on Thursday. Ranaut returned to Mumbai from her home state Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday, hours after the BMC demolished "illegal alterations" at her Bandra bungalow. "A police van with officials has been deployed outside her residence in Khar to tackle with any untoward incident. Women constables are also a part of the team," the official was quoted as saying by PTI. "Besides, outside her Pali Hill bungalow, which was partially demolished by the civic body yesterday, similar security arrangements have been made," he said. According to sources, the actress likely to visit her her Pali Hill property on Thursday.
While BMC on Wednesday demolished unauthorised constructions at Kangana Ranaut’s office premises in Bandra’s Pali Hill within 24 hours of issuing a stop work notice to the actor, it had taken action in only 10.47 per cent of the complaints of illegal constructions it had received from 2016 to 2019. According to data received under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, between January 2016 to July 2019, BMC has received over 94,000 complaints regarding illegal constructions. However, it has taken action in only over 5,400 cases. Activist Shakeel Shaikh had filed an RTI appeal in 2019 seeking information on complaints received by BMC regarding illegal construction and what action had been taken on them. The RTI reply shows that between January 2016 and July 2019, RETMS had received 94,851 complaints on illegal construction. Among them, 42,697 complaints were related to similar cases. Of the remaining 52,124 complaints received, BMC took action on 5,462 – in only 10.47 per cent cases, demolition work was undertaken.
The party mouthpiece further said though the Shiv Sena has taken a “different route”, it would never tolerate “disrespect” towards Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. “(Narendra) Modi is not just a person but an institution in the form of prime minister. The same is for the states CMs and regional identities,” it added. It also said comparing Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and insulting the Mumbai Police by calling it mafia are signs of a “disturbed” mindset. “But when the nationalist (Narendra) Modi government’s home ministry provides security cover to such people, then our 106 martyrs (who had died in the movement of Samyukta Maharashtra with Mumbai) must be shedding tears in heaven,” the editorial stated.
Criticising the Centre’s decision to provide Y-plus security to actor Kangana Ranaut, the Shiv Sena, in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, alleged there was a conspiracy “to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra” by defaming and damaging Mumbai and weakening its economy. The editorial also urged the state to unite against those using “disrespectful” language about the Maharashtra chief minister. “While Maharashtra is angry (about this), the BJP has directly supported people who have insulted Mumbai and Maharashtra’s CM,” the editorial stated. “There is a danger to Mumbai from those, in Delhi and the state legislature, who love Mumbai being insulted. It is clear that steps are going in (the) direction of conspiring to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra by defaming and damaging Mumbai and weakening its economy. The Centre and BJP in Maharashtra do not miss a single opportunity to attack the powers and independence of the democratic government in Maharashtra,” the editorial further stated.
Former Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam did not mince words. “Sitting in Government you cannot do such things. It is sending a very wrong message. She (Ranaut) may be in contact with the BJP, she may be doing all this at the instance of the BJP, but why are you, a political party and that, too, a ruling party falling into such a trap? I cannot remain silent. It looks cheap.” “Appalled as a Mumbaikar with the state of affairs in the economic capital of India. Maharashtra is Covid-19’s ground zero. Instead of focusing on governance, we’re busy settling political scores. Time for all parties to come together and set our priorities right,” tweeted Milind Deora, another former Mumbai Congress president.
Late in the evening, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Pawar and Raut had a meeting. Sources said they discussed the government’s strategy on the Maratha reservation issue after the apex court stayed its implementation but, clearly, Pawar’s disquiet found an echo in a section of the Congress, too.
The Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s demolition drive at Kangana Ranaut’s Mumbai office may have been put on hold by the High Court but it brought to the fore cracks in ruling coalition again. Nationalist Congress President Sharad Pawar Tuesday broke ranks with ally Sena to question the BMC’s action. “I don’t know if there was anything illegal (about the office)…It won’t be appropriate to comment on this without having proper information. Illegal construction isn’t a new thing in Mumbai. In view of the prevalent situation, the BMC’s actions give space to raise doubt in people’s minds. However, BMC has its own rules and officers may have found it appropriate to take the action,” Pawar said. “She (Ranaut) should have been ignored…(this is) unnecessarily giving her a handle,” a senior Congress minister in the Thackeray government told The Indian Express. Another senior leader said: “It’s a self-goal.”
CRITICISING THE Centre's decision to provide Y-plus security to actor Kangana Ranaut, the Shiv Sena, in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, alleged there was a conspiracy "to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra" by defaming and damaging Mumbai and weakening its economy. The editorial also urged the state to unite against those using "disrespectful" language about the Maharashtra chief minister.
"While Maharashtra is angry (about this), the BJP has directly supported people who have insulted Mumbai and Maharashtra’s CM," the editorial stated.
In an alleged reference to actor Kangana Ranaut's remark comparing Mumbai to PoK, Maharashtra NCP president and Irrigation Minister Jayant Patil Wednesday tweeted that some 'people' comparing "this great city and our police force to that of Pakistan is outlandish" and it is just to "gain publicity and limelight".
"It is painful to come across people who are not grateful to what Mumbai and Maharashtra has to offer - in terms of the opportunities, women safety and tolerance," he said.
"Mumbai is the mother that does not discriminate. Let us all be respectful to the spirit of Mumbai and the dignity of the elected offices of the state," he added.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur condemned the demolition of a portion of Kangana Ranaut's Mumbai bungalow by the civic body Wednesday, saying she 'is a daughter' of the state and she should get a 'proper atmosphere' to work in her field.
Speaking in State Assembly, Thakur said his government has provided security at Ranaut's Manali residence and 11 CRPF commandos would accompany her wherever she would go in the country as part of the Y-plus security provided by the Centre. Himachal Pradesh will do its best to ensure her security, he added.
'Kangana is a daughter of Himachal Pradesh and she has brought laurels not only to the state but to the entire country,' he said in the assembly, adding she should get proper atmosphere to work in her field. (PTI)
Kangana Ranaut's lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui on Wednesday alleged that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which demolished part of her Bandra bungalow earlier in the day, was lying about illegal construction there.
Siddiqui 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."
"There is no construction going on at the place. It was over about one-and-a-half years ago," he added.
Siddiqui said that even as the BMC officials were told that they have moved the Bombay High Court against the demolition, the civic authorities did not stop the process. "They rejected our reply at 10.19 am. Immediately, we moved the court (HC) and served the copies (of the plea) to BMC office as well the official present on the spot," the lawyer said.
"I also told them that the matter is in the court. Despite that they didn't stop the demolition. The work stopped only after the HC gave a stay on it," he added. (PTI)
Launching a fresh salvo against Maharashtra government, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut Wednesday warned Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that his "ego will be destroyed" just as he broke her house. In a video message posted on her Twitter handle, Ranaut said now she understood how Kashmiri Pandits would have felt and she would make a film on them as well.