Fadnavis duo’s duet video invites Maha mockery

A few days after the Maharashtra government moved a proposal to slice away a substantial 10-acres from the largest lush green garden in Pune city to construct residences for top officials, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has made an acting debut in a music video titled ‘Mumbai River Anthem’ along with his singer wife Amruta Fadnavis to urge Mumbai’s residents to help keep the city’s rivers clean.

The video song, Chal Chal Mumbai Ke Sang, is produced by Sangeeta Manjarekar and Leelaa Entertainment along with T-series. It also features Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam, besides Maharashtra Forests Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta and Mumbai Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar, lip-synching. However, what is missing from the video are Mumbai’s actual rivers, which have been reduced to suppurating sewers, and cannot provide the romantic backdrop perhaps desired by the music video makers and stars.

Although Sachin Gupta, the music director claimed that government funds were not used for the making of anthem, the CM is under fire for appearing in the video. Many social media users have been calling out the CM for promoting his wife as a singer.

The song that calls for support to save Mumbai's four rivers Poisar, Dahisar, Oshiwara and Mithi is also being ridiculed by the Opposition parties.

“This video is terrible and shocking. To further her singing career, Amruta Fadnavis has used the Chief Minister, and senior civic and police officials and also the CM’s official residence Varsha, where part of the video was shot,” AAP spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon was quoted by PTI. “It is sheer hypocrisy that they are talking about protecting rivers, when the BJP-led government is on a spree to destroy environment,” she said.

Slamming the video song, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, however, said that it exposed the government’s double standards on environmental causes. “Why did the CM not remember Mumbai’s rivers while he took decision to legalise illegal slums along the rivers if the huts were constructed until 2011. It shows his double standards,” Nitin Sardesai, an MNS leader was quoted as saying by Express News Service.

Incidentally, Maharashtra government faced scathing criticism from activists and residents after all 384 cities and towns of Maharashtra were declared open defecation free by President Ram Nath Kovind last year. According to many, the open defecation remains doing business as usual, belying the official claims.