Her comments drew sharp backlash on social media (File)
BJP lawmaker Hema Malini, asked about the Mumbai pub fire that left 14 dead last night, linked it to what she called "population spreading like anything". The fire that broke out at a rooftop pub in the Kamala Mills compound in central Mumbai has raised questions about buildings in the city's popular nightlife hubs and had triggered a safety audit.
Hema Malini questioned how restaurants were granted permissions "just like that".
"Such incidents are recurring because of the huge population in Mumbai. It's not that the police aren't doing their job. They do a great job. But the population is so much. And the city is spreading like anything. When Bombay ends, another city should begin. Continuation of Mumbai is another Mumbai. But the city keeps extending," said the 69-year-old actor-politician.
She also offered her suggestion - limiting the population.
"Some restrictions should be done on the population. Each city should have certain population...limit, after that they should not be allowed. Then let them go to another city...next city," Hema Malini said, speaking on the sidelines of parliament.
Her comments drew sharp backlash on social media.
Most of the deaths in the pub fire were because of suffocation.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered an investigation amid reports that illegal structures in the building exacerbated the fire and safety measures were not in place.
A young woman celebrating her birthday and her friends were among the dead. Two brothers who had come from the US for a holiday and were out for dinner were also killed when they ran out but went back in to save their aunt.