A dispute over the BMC Diwali campaign featuring actor Dia Mirza has exposed a public disagreement within Mumbai’s civic leadership over who should approve celebrity-led civic messaging and content released through the municipal corporation’s official channels.
Mayor Ritu Tawde said the names of celebrities engaged for future Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation campaigns should be brought to her notice and cleared by her in advance. She said she was unaware that Mirza had been selected for the pollution-free Diwali appeal and would raise the issue with the civic administration.
Tawde also said the BMC should not issue public statements without her approval. Referring to criticism of the campaign by Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam, she said the social media post represented the position of all BJP corporators. She further said that while Mirza could express her views through her personal social media accounts, content published on the BMC’s official handles should not be released without the ruling party’s approval.
The controversy began after the BMC circulated an anti-firecracker appeal featuring Mirza. The message subsequently faced criticism from BJP leaders, raising questions over whether it had been removed from the civic body’s social media handles. The campaign was recorded after the Bombay High Court and the BMC asked Mirza to make a public-interest video, according to the actor’s statement cited in the report.
Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi took a different position from Tawde and Satam. He said he did not believe Mirza had said anything wrong by urging citizens to avoid firecrackers and questioned why the message had been removed. Ghadi also said there was no reason for Satam or Tawde to object to the appeal.
Mirza, who is identified as a UN environment goodwill ambassador, defended the campaign by linking the appeal to public health and air pollution. She said Diwali represented the triumph of light, knowledge and hope, and that the video was intended to encourage a healthier and more mindful celebration. She added that reducing air pollution was a public-health concern.
The disagreement places the BMC’s official communication process at the centre of the dispute. Tawde’s position calls for political approval over celebrity participation and public statements, while Ghadi has defended the content on the basis of its stated pollution-control purpose. The competing positions also leave unresolved whether the mayor, the civic administration or the ruling political leadership has final authority over public messaging issued through BMC platforms.
The immediate issue concerns a Diwali campaign, but the dispute also involves how a municipal corporation communicates public-health appeals to residents. The BMC’s next step, according to Tawde, is to consider how celebrity names and future campaign communications should be placed before the civic leadership for approval.
