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A controversy erupted today after popular stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma alleged that he had been asked to pay a bribe of Rs 5 lakh by an official of the civic body BMC which, in turn, claimed that the actor had carried out "illegal construction" at his office for which a notice had been served on him.

Kapil levelled the bribe allegation in tweets in which he tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking if this was the "achche din" (good days) he had promised.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was quick to respond to Sharma’s angst and assured him that strict action would be taken against the culprit.

Expressing his anguish and raising the issue of corruption, Kapil tweeted this morning, "I am paying 15 cr income tax from last 5 year n still i have to pay 5 lacs bribe to BMC office for making my office @narendramodi (sic)."

In another tweet, he wrote, "Yeh hain aapke achhe din? @narendramodi (are these your good days)," referring to Modi’s 2014 poll slogan of "good days are ahead".

The post of Sharma, who has over 6.22 million followers on Twitter, was ’retweeted’ and ’liked’ by thousands on the social media platform.

Taking cognisance of the matter, Fadnavis requested Sharma to provide the authorities with necessary information to punish the culprit.

"Kapilbhai pls provide all info. Have directed MC, BMC to take strictest action. We will not spare the culprit," the Chief Minister said in a tweet.

Later, Sharma thanked Fadnavis in another tweet saying, "@Dev_Fadnavis thank u so much for ur concern sir.. Would like to come n discuss this matter with u in person .."

However, a senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official claimed that the actor had made some "illegal construction" at his office in Versova area of suburban Mumbai and had been served a notice regarding the same, but he did not pay heed to it.

"Kapil was then sent a notice by BMC on July 16 to stop or remove the construction, but he didn’t reply to it," he said.

BMC also asked Kapil to reveal the name of the officer who allegedly demanded the bribe.
Stung by corruption allegations, Shiv Sena, which rules the BMC along with BJP, dared Kapil to name the bribe seeker.

"This is not a comedy show where he can tweet what is going on in his life. He needs to immediately name the person publicly who asked for a bribe or people would watch the whole episode like a comedy drama, laugh over it and forget about it," Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said.

"Kapil Sharma is a very famous person and thus the moot question he needs to answer is that why would he give the bribe when somebody asked for it. Giving bribe makes him as much of a culprit as the one who asked for it," she added. 

Manohar Pawar, chief engineer of vigilance department in BMC, said, "I have requested Kapil Sharma to reveal the name of the officer who demanded bribe so that we can initiate inquiry and appropriate action against him or her."

"Let me assure you that if you desire to keep any disclosure made by you in this matter confidential, the same shall also be ensured," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Ram Kadam filed a complaint with the cyber cell of Mumbai police alleging that Kapil, by keeping mum on the "bribe" demand, did not "discharge his duty as a citizen", and demanded a free and fair inquiry into the entire issue.

Confirming the complaint, Mumbai police spokesperson Ashok Dudhe said, "Yes, we have received an application and since the allegations are related to the anti-corruption department, the application is going to be forwarded to anti-corruption department for further inquiry.

The Congress, meanwhile, said Chief Minister Fadnavis, who took immediate cognisance of the comedian’s complaint should lend ears to common man as well.

"It is surprising to see how the government machinery gave a quick response to Kapil Sharma. Just like him, common Mumbaikars raise issues of corruption every day against the BMC but nobody listens to them. It has come to a situation where every Mumbaikar has to now say ’Hum bhi hai Kapil Sharma’ for the CM and BMC to listen to them," Congress MLA Nitesh Rane said.

The NCP too sought to milk the issue by alleging corruption in the civic body since years and said Sharma too should demolish the alleged illegal structure if he is a law abiding citizen.

"Undoubtedly there is corruption in BMC ruled by the BJP and the Shiv Sena since decades. Also, Kapil Sharma was issued a notice by the civic body over illegal construction. If he is a law abiding citizen, he should immediately demolish it," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.

"If he (Sharma) is using the corruption angle to save his illegal structure, the Municipal Commissioner should come forward and raze it," he said.