MUMBAI: Political circles in Maharashtra were awash with activity on Friday after the issue of corruption in the Shiv Sena-BJP led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) came to the fore once again after actor and comedian Kapil Sharma’s tweet in which he alleged that a bribe of `5 lakh was demanded from him by a corporation official.
In an explosive tweet, Sharma alleged that he was paying `15 crore income tax for the last five years and still had to pay a bribe of `5 lakh to a BMC engineer for “making” his office. “Is this your achhe din?” he asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by tagging him on Twitter.
Taking a serious note of the tweet, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured the comedian of ‘strictest action’ against the culprit if necessary information was provided.
However, as it later became clear that Sharma was engaged in illegal construction on his property at Varsova in the western suburbs of the city and had received notices from the municipal corporation in that regard, the comedian, in an apparent attempt to hush up the issue, tweeted again and expressed his wish to discuss the issue with the Chief Minister in person.
“I just voiced my concern on the corruption I faced with certain individuals... Its No blame on any political party be it BJP, MNS or ShivSena (sic),” Sharma tweeted later.
Earlier in the day, as Sharma’s tweet and the CM’s response went viral, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray appealed to the comedian to furnish details so that proper action could be initiated.
Shiv Sena corporator Kishori Pednekar said, “We will have to check whether there is a comedy in his statements. If he is just joking, he would be taught a lesson in Shiv Sena style.”
The Congress wasted no time in taking potshots at Fadnavis saying that he needs to take cognisance of the common man’s complains just the way he responded to the comedian’s complaint.