Kunal Kamra-Eknath Shinde row: Maharashtra Deputy CM says SC made clear who the traitor is after comedian’s remark

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday responded to stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra's ‘traitor’ jibe and said the “Supreme Court showed who a traitor is”.

According to an NDTV report, he further questioned Kamra, “Where was free speech for Kangana (Ranaut)?” Shinde was referring to when Kamra hailed the action against BJP MP and actor Kangana Ranaut's Mumbai office.

What Shinde said today?

According to NDTV, Maharashtra Deputy CM, while speaking in the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Wednesday, said, “You keep calling me ‘gaddar, gaddar’, you will soon have to close the ‘daar’ (door in Marathi) of your party.”

Referring to the verdict given by the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker and Kamra's satirical song, Shinde continued, “The Election Commission, Supreme Court and the Speaker of the House have said who the ‘gaddar’ is. More importantly, the people who are above everyone have also given their verdict. No matter how much “supari” (contract) you give, nothing's going to work.”

Reminds Kangana's incident:

In September 2020, a part of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's office in Mumbai's Pali Hill was demolished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on the grounds of encroachment following her spat with the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government.

At the time, the Uddhav Thackeray government was in power in Maharashtra and also controlled the Mumbai civic body. Shinde also pointed to the United Shiv Sena's reaction after popular Radio Jockey Malishka made a satirical song about potholes in 2017.

'Breach of privilege by Kamra'

A breach of privilege notice was moved against Kunal Kamra in the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Wednesday. “Kunal Kamra performed a song containing personal and insulting references to deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde,” said BJP legislator Pravin Darekar, leader of the legislative council, while presenting the motion.

Kamra's request rejected by Mumbai Police

The Mumbai Police on Wednesday rejected the stand-up artiste's request to appear before the authorities for a week. Kamra's lawyer submitted the appeal and reply in person to the Khar Police Station. However, the police have turned down Kamra's request.

The Khar Police will issue a second summons to Kunal Kamra on Wednesday under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 35. Earlier, Mumbai Police sent a summons to the stand-up artist, asking him to appear before the investigating officer on Tuesday.

What Kamra said

Kamra recently performed a parody of a popular Hindi song from the film “Dil Toh Pagal Hai”, apparently referring to Shinde as a “gaddar” (traitor). He also made jokes about recent political developments in Maharashtra, including the Shiv Sena and NCP splits.

On Monday, Kamra released a statement on his official social media handle saying that he would “not apologise” for his act.

The MIDC police registered a first information report against Kamra, which was then transferred to Khar police for further investigation.