Sena slams RJ for parody on BMC

A satirical number by a radio jockey on the woes of monsoon-hit Mumbai, which went viral on social media, has left the Shiv Sena seething. RJ Malishka Mendonsa posted the song ‘Mumbai, tula BMC var Bharosa Naye Ka’ (Mumbai… don’t you have faith in BMC), which appeared to question the Sena’s promise of a trouble-free monsoon season.

The song, a parody on potholes, traffic snarls and the grinding halt of suburban trains, has prompted two Sena leaders to ask BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta to file a Rs 500-crore defamation case against the RJ and 93.5 Big FM.

“It may not be directly mentioning the Shiv Sena, but it hurts Mumbai and the BMC,” said Samadhan Sarvankar, son of Sena legislator Sada Sarvankar, who, along with corporator Amey Ghole, has pushed for the defamation suit.

“The aim of the song is to malign the image of the public body and mislead the citizens,” Samadhan added.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation retaliated by conducting a suo moto survey at the residence of Malishka’s mother Lily Mendonsa in Bandra West, and presented a report alleging the presence of Aedes mosquitoes (which spreads diseases like dengue) in the plant pots in the house.

The civic body threatened action under section 381B of the Mumbai Municipal Act against the Mendonsa family for allowing the breeding of dengue-spreading mosquitoes. However, BMC officials played down the incident, saying it was a routine check during the monsoon.

Support all around
Besides overwhelming support from the public, political parties like the BJP, Congress and MNS jumped to Malishka’s defence. “It is brave of her to apply her creativity to express Mumbai’s problems,” Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said, slamming the BMC for finding fault with her.

Congress MLA Nitesh Rane tweeted his support for Malishka, while MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said, “This is not done.”

Meanwhile, Malishka tweeted her thanks to Mumbai for the support. “#Mumbai you are the best.Mala tujhyavarbharosaaahe,” she said.

Malishka has been a celebrity among the RJs. She trained actor Vidya Balan to play the role of an RJ in the 2006 movie Lage Raho Munna Bhai.