To get into the crosshairs of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government is to dig one’s own grave, something which Arnab Goswami and Kangana Ranaut have learned the hard way. Not only people who criticise the Maharashtra government end up in trouble but even the people who attempt to do good for the society earn the wrath of Maharashtra dispensation. Such is the case of Sonu Sood, as the Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has termed him as a “habitual offender” over alleged illegal construction in Juhu.
An affidavit filed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in the Bombay High Court states that Sonu Sood is a “habitual offender” who keeps carrying out unauthorised construction work in a residential building in suburban Juhu even though demolition action had been initiated on two occasions in the past.
“The appellant (Sonu Sood) is a habitual offender and wants to enjoy the commercial proceeds of the unauthorised work and therefore once again started reconstructing the demolished portion in order to make it operational as a hotel albeit illegally and without permission from the License department,” stated the civic body in its affidavit.
The affidavit further added, “The appellant has not been given permission for change of user of the said property from residential to commercial and there is no license to run the commercial hotel.”
However, Sonu Sood’s lawyer, Amogh Singh in his plea, stated that “The petitioner (Sood) has not made any changes in the building that warrants permission from the BMC. Only those changes that are allowed under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act have been done.”
While it remains to be seen whether Sonu Sood indeed flouted the norms and made structural changes to the building in question, the timing of the BMC’s notice is questionable as earlier Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut had targeted Sood for his philanthropic work as Raut claimed that Sood has a political force backing him from the behind and he will likely emerge as the star campaigner for the BJP shortly. Unsurprisingly, Raut was heavily trolled for his comments against Sonu Sood.
However, Sonu Sood has managed to gain an upper hand as he recently met Maharashtra NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar – the godfather of the Aghadi alliance who dictates terms to the Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.
At a time when Maharashtra and especially Mumbai was emerging as the corona capital of the country, Sonu Sood’s humanitarian work was showing the Maharashtra government especially the Thackerays in poor light. It will not be far-fetched to say that the Maharashtra government are in a mood to take revenge against Sood as they did against Kangana Ranaut by demolishing a part of her office.
