Soni Razdan calls bursting Diwali firecrackers anti-national
The actor's comments on air pollution and children's health follow a controversy involving a deleted awareness video by Dia Mirza.
Actor Soni Razdan has described the practice of bursting firecrackers during Diwali as 'anti-life, anti-health, and yes... anti-national'. According to reports by The Times of India and Moneycontrol, Razdan shared these views on Instagram to highlight the impact of air pollution on the health of young children.
In her post, Razdan noted that parents of young children see how much their children suffer due to pollution and how many school days are missed because of illness. She urged people to make the right choice for their health and their children. Razdan disabled the comments section on the post.
Her remarks come amid a controversy involving an awareness video featuring actress Dia Mirza. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had shared the video to encourage an eco-friendly Diwali, but later removed it following objections from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde stated that the removal was due to Mirza's profile, alleging she has opposed the Narmada project, the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and statements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Mayor described Mirza as 'anti-Hindu' and said she has been blacklisted.
Mirza issued a statement explaining that the video was recorded in the interest of public awareness to encourage a mindful celebration. She said air pollution is a matter of public health.
The Bombay High Court has since directed the BMC to re-upload the deleted video. The court noted that the civic body commissioner was right in choosing celebrities for the awareness campaign.