Soni Razdan calls bursting even one cracker anti-national
The actor's remarks follow a Bombay High Court order for the BMC to restore Dia Mirza's deleted pollution awareness video.
Actor Soni Razdan stated that bursting even a single firecracker on Diwali is anti-life, anti-health, and anti-national. According to reports by India Today and Moneycontrol, Razdan made these remarks in an Instagram post late on Tuesday night, citing the impact of air pollution on young children.
The post follows a controversy involving actor-environmentalist Dia Mirza, whose awareness video was removed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The Bombay High Court later directed the civic body to re-upload the deleted clip.
The removal of Mirza's video occurred after objections were raised by political figures. India Today reported that Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam objected to the video, while Mayor Ritu Tawde described Mirza as anti-Hindu. Deccan Chronicle noted that filmmaker Ashoke Pandit also questioned why civic bodies target Hindu festivals for environmental preaching.
While Mirza's video was taken down, campaign videos featuring Madhuri Dixit, Nishigandha Wad, and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane remained on the BMC's social media accounts. The Bombay High Court took suo motu note of the matter, expressing displeasure over the political objections.
Mirza stated that the video was recorded in the interest of public awareness to encourage a healthier celebration. She said air pollution is a matter of public health and every effort to reduce it should be welcomed.
The court noted it was unfortunate that an environmental awareness video was viewed in such a manner and stated that no person could question why authorities chose a particular celebrity.