LIVE: No regrets, will apologise only if told by courts, says Kunal Kamra
CM Fadnavis says comedian should apologise to Shinde; Sena (UBT) supports Kamra and slams vandalism at hotel
A jibe by stand-up comic Kunal Kamra calling Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde a “traitor” has sparked a massive row in the state.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has come out strongly in support of his alliance partner and said the comedian should apologise to the Shiv Sena leader. He said that while he is not against comedy, it is not okay to disrespect someone.
"Such low-level comedy and disrespecting the Deputy Chief Minister is not right," said Fadnavis.
Commenting on the issue, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that everyone despite differences should speak within their rights.
“Nobody should go beyond the law, Constitution, and rules. They should speak within their rights. There can be differences, but it should be noted that there need not be police involvement," he told reporters on Monday (March 24).
FIR against Sena leaders
Slighted by the remark, Shiv Sena workers on Sunday (March 23) vandalised a hotel in Mumbai’s Khar area where Kamra had made the comment during a recent show.
While 11 people, including Sena leaders Narain Kanal and Shrikant Sarmalkar, have been arrested for the vandalism after an FIR was lodged against them, the hotel has been temporarily closed.
A police official told news agency PTI that the party workers reached the auditorium of Hotel Unicontinental in the Khar area, where the show was shot, after a video of Kamra’s jibe against Shinde went viral on social media. They also demanded a FIR to be filed against Kamra.
Also read: Those glorifying Aurangzeb are 'traitors': Eknath Shinde
What Kamra said
In a recent stand-up act Kamra taunted Shinde using a modified version of a Hindi song from the film Dil To Pagal Hai, eliciting laughter from the audience. He called Shinde a ‘gaddar’ (traitor), referring to his move of splitting the Shiv Sena and joining hands with the BJP.
“Thane ki rickshaw, chehre pe daadhi, aakhon me chasma haye! Ek jhalak dikhlae kabhi Guwahati me chhup jae. Meri nazar se tum dekho gaddar nazar wo aaye! (Thane’s rickshaw, bearded face, spectacles on the eyes. He shows us a glance and hides in Guwahati. Seen from my eyes, he looks like a traitor)” he sings, parodying the film’s Bholi Si Surat song.
The dig has triggered a massive outrage among Sena workers with the party calling it a conspiracy to “malign Shinde” and filing cases against Kamra as well as Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Aditya Thackeray and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Kamra warned of dire consequences
Sena MP Naresh Mhaske warned Kamra that he would be chased by Sena workers throughout the country. “You will be forced to flee India,” he said in a video message.
Calling Kamra a “contract comedian”, Mhaske, referring to Shinde said he should not have stepped on the “tail of a snake”.
“Once the fangs are out, there will be dire consequences,” he warned.
Watch: Fadnavis vs Shinde: Maharashtra coalition faces fresh crisis
The MP from Thane also alleged that the comedian has accepted money from Sena (UBT0 chief Uddhav Thackeray and is targeting Shinde.
Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel said he would show "Kamra his level" and asked him to apologise.
Sena (UBT) slams vandalism at hotel
Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray slammed the vandalism at the hotel, calling it a "cowardly" act.
In a post on X, Thackeray said, “Mindhe’s coward gang breaks the comedy show stage where comedian @kunalkamra88 put out a song on eknath mindhe, which was 100 per cent true. Only an insecure coward would react to a song by someone.” “By the way, law and order in the state? Another attempt to undermine the CM and Home Minister by Eknath Mindhe,” he said.
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