‘Straighter than mine’: Historian Ramachandra Guha hails Kunal Kamra’s ‘spine’: Social media reacts

Historian Ramachandra Guha has hailed Kunal Kamra. He took to social media to speak about the stand-up comedian’s “spine”.

“I just spent some time with this visitor to Bengaluru. That his spine is straighter than mine may not be entirely due to the difference in age,” he wrote.

To understand the context, we must know their history.

Guha has been one of India's most consistent critics of the BJP-led government. His opposition has grown sharper since 2014. He has challenged the government through academic writing, public protests and open letters.

In 2019, Bengaluru Police detained him during a CAA protest. Images of him being dragged away while holding a Gandhi poster went viral. He described the administration as a paranoid and fearful regime.

That same year, he was among 49 eminent citizens who wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Their letter raised alarm over rising mob lynchings across the country. A sedition case was filed against him in Bihar. It was later closed.

In late 2025, he criticised Project Cheetah as a disaster. He accused the government of ignoring scientific expertise entirely.

He is not simply a BJP critic, however. Guha has also repeatedly called out the Congress party. He has argued that the Gandhi family's continued dominance prevents a credible opposition from emerging. He believes their presence actually helps the BJP.

The Comedian Who Refuses to Apologise

Kunal Kamra has been fighting legal and political battles for years. His conflicts with the establishment have escalated sharply in 2025 and 2026.

In April, he appeared before the Maharashtra Legislative Council's privileges committee. A parody song from his show allegedly called Deputy CM Eknath Shinde a traitor.

The committee wanted an unconditional apology. Kamra refused. He said apologising insincerely would set a terrible precedent for artistic freedom.

He is also a lead petitioner challenging the government's 2023 amendments to the IT Rules. Those rules would allow the state to flag content it considers fake or misleading. The Bombay High Court struck down the rules as unconstitutional in September 2024. The Supreme Court issued notice to Kamra in March 2026 while examining the government's appeal.

In November 2025, he posted a photo allegedly wearing a T-shirt mocking the RSS. BJP and Shiv Sena leaders threatened police action. Kamra responded that the Constitution runs the country, not outrage.

The Habitat was vandalised in March 2025 after his Naya Bharat performance. The BMC then conducted a demolition drive at the premises. Critics called it a political vendetta.

Kamra also continues to face contempt charges from the Supreme Court over 2020 tweets about the judiciary. He has refused to apologise for those, too.

Social Media Reaction

The social media reaction was mixed. Some users chose strong words to slam the encounter.

“I hope it's worth spending your time with a joker so you gathered enough content to write another comic history book of yours, like you always do,” wrote a user.

“You should be ashamed of hobnobbing with a boorish, uncouth gent! But then birds of a feather flock together! Where is Prakash Raj?

Another user wrote, “What a fall!!! Mr Guha,.. Between the spine and the brain. It's hard to guess which has lost its strength.”

“The straight spine is useless if the brain is rotten, lewd and twisted,” came from another.

However, there were some standing by the controversial duo.

“He does have the b*lls to stand against the regime,” wrote one of those.

“It's quite unlikely to find someone with a spine in this world of spineless species these days, and good to see you with someone of a straight spine. And yours too, though not in shape, but as straight as a line with your critics!” commented another user.

“We salute you both, fearless persons with erect spines in the present India..rare species,” wrote another user.

Disclosure: Social media posts have been lightly edited for grammar, clarity and readability while preserving the original context.