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.
Follow live updates here
Live Updates
- 24 March 2025 10:04 AM
‘Urban Naxal like Kamra want people to lose faith in esteemed institutions’: Fadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday opened up on the recent Kunal Kamra controversy and clarified that freedom of expression comes with certain limituation and those breaching it will not be spared.
“Freedom of expression has its own limitations. You cannot insult anyone. You can do comedy and satire against all of us, we will appreciate but the one who is insulting people by taking “supari” will have to face action. There is no need to spare them. We will not tolerate this and we will teach them a lesson,” Fadnavis said.
"The left liberal and urban naxal like Kunal Kamra share the same objective of defaming respected personalities, esteemed institutions and make people lose their faith in them. I assures the state assembly that strictest action will be taken against him,” CM Fadnavis said the state assembly
- 24 March 2025 10:03 AM
Govt to probe comedian's bank accounts, call records
Maharashtra MoS Home Yogesh Kadam on Monday said the government will investigate the call records of controversial comedian Kunal Kamra, transactions in the account and prove if someone is the mastermind behind it.
- 24 March 2025 9:54 AM
BMC kicks off demolition drive at event venue
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) has launched a demolition drive at The Habitat studio at Unicontinental hotel in Mumbai's Khar area, where comedian Kunal Kamra had shot a video mocking Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, which has triggered a massive controversy. A team from the civic body entered the compound with hammers and is currently carrying out a demolition drive inside.
Details of the violations for which the studio faced the demolition exercise are awaited. Sources, however, alleged that the studio's premises are in an encroached area between two hotels. Earlier today, the management of Mumbai's Habitat Studio said they had decided to shut the premises for now and that they are not responsible for the views of the artists performing on the premises. - 24 March 2025 9:49 AM
Kunal Kamra row forces adjournments in Maharashtra legislature
A row sparked by comedian Kunal Kamra's jibe at Shiv Sena leader and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde rocked proceedings of both Houses of the legislature in Maharashtra on Monday leading to brief adjournments.
The legislative assembly witnessed uproarious scenes with Shiv Sena members demanding strict action against the stand-up comedian for his "traitor" jibe at Shinde.
Arjun Khotkar of Shiv Sena raised the issue, supported by Minister Shambhuraj Desai.
As members of the treasury benches rose on their feet shouting slogans, Speaker Rahul Narwekar adjourned the proceedings for five minutes after noon.
In the legislative council, legislators from the treasury and opposition benches were engaged in a heated exchange, following which the proceedings were adjourned for ten minutes, followed by 15 minutes, and then for half an hour.
Leader of the Opposition in the Council and Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Ambadas Danve referred to the ransacking of a recording studio in Khar by Shiv Sena workers to question the deteriorating law and order.
"Supporters of the ruling parties are creating a law and order situation in the state. They are disturbing social harmony. Why no action is taken against these people?" he asked.
Danve said the opposition didn't support Kamra, but the freedom of expression must be respected. "We don't support Kamra. If he had erred, legal provisions could be moved against him," he said, drawing a sharp response from Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant.
Samant claimed Kamra had joined Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra. "What does it mean when the same Kamra insults our leader? Kamra had also insulted PM Narendra Modi, senior industrialists like Anand Mahindra and even the Supreme Court in his videos. If Kamra passes similar remarks (targeting Shinde) against Danve or Uddhav Thackeray, we will set aside our political differences and defend you," Samant said.
- 24 March 2025 9:41 AM
Opposition slams ransacking of Kamra's comedy act venue; Shiv Sena says spontaneous reaction
Opposition leaders on Monday slammed the alleged ransacking of the venue of stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra's show, where he took a "traitor" jibe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Shiv Sena leaders, however, justified the ransacking as a "spontaneous reaction" to alleged attempts by a political party to further its agenda in the name of comedy through its "paid agent".
"It is a shameless use of violence and taking law and order in your own hands while you are in the government because you have an objection to some comedy," Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi said.
She said the same Kamra, before 2014, used to crack more severe jokes on former prime minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA government, and there was never any use of violence of any kind against him.
"It is a shameless attempt on Eknath Shinde's party's behalf to do what they have done -- trying to bully people, trying to intimidate people," Chaturvedi told reporters in the Parliament complex.
Shiv Sena leaders described Kamra as a "paid agent", who was trying to bail out a political party that is grappling with a case in the Bombay High Court about the death of a young girl.
"Mocking Eknath Shinde -- a self-made leader who rose from driving an autorickshaw to leading India's second-largest state -- reeks of classist arrogance. India is rejecting entitled monarchs and their bootlicking ecosystem that pretends to champion meritocracy and democracy," Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Milind Deora said.
Shiv Sena leader Dhairyasheel Mane said the action by his party activists was a "spontaneous reaction" to the "abusive statements" made by Kamra against Shinde.
"Shiv Sainiks are very emotionally attached to its leadership and no Shiv Sainik will tolerate such nonsense targeted at its leadership. Whatever happened on Sunday was a spontaneous reaction," Mane said.
Congress member Manickam Tagore said it was unfortunate that jokes are making people angry and that such a trend is a reflection of growing intolerance.
"This is the new India under the rule of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi where even if a comedy show is held, then the venue will be vandalised with the support of the local police," he said.
Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan said if there are restrictions on speaking, it would lead to a very bad situation. "You would be told to speak just on this and nothing else.... Where is freedom of speech? There is freedom of action only when there is a ruckus -- beat up the opposition, rape women, kill them," she said.
Bachchan said Shinde left his old party and joined hands with another party due to the greed for power. "Isn't that an insult to Balasaheb Thackeray?" she asked.
Congress leader Pramod Tiwari termed the action of Shiv Sainiks "hooliganism".
"The Constitution gives us freedom of expression and if anybody has insulted someone, then you should investigate the matter," he said. PTI
- 24 March 2025 9:22 AM
No one should violate law, Constitution: Ajit Pawar on Kamra's remarks
Amid the controversy over stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra's alleged defamatory remarks against Shiv Sena chief Ekanth Shinde, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday said no one should violate the law and the Constitution, and must keep a check on what they say.
Speaking to reporters at Chikalthana airport in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pawar said statements must be made in the frame of law.
A case has been registered against Kamra, who allegedly referred to Deputy Chief Minister Shinde as a "traitor" and sang a parody during a performance at the Habitat Comedy Club at Hotel Unicontinental in Mumbai's Khar area.
The comedian used a modified version of a Hindi song from the movie 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai' to describe the 2022 rebellion of Shinde against his then-boss Uddhav Thackeray.
Reacting to the development, Pawar said, "No one should violate the law and Constitution. The ideologies might differ, but statements should be made in the frame of law. One has to ensure that his remarks don't cause new issues and create law and order problems."
