Comedian Kunal Kamra’s stand-up act angers Eknath Shinde supporters: What was the joke?
Comedian Kunal Kamra’s latest stand-up gig uploaded on YouTube and his Instagram handle has angered Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde’s supporters, with them on Sunday vandalising the venue in Mumbai where the act was filmed along with a threat to not let him “walk freely”.
While Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel filed an FIR against Kunal Kamra, Khar police in western Mumbai detained Shiv Sena deputy leader Rahool Kanal and Vibhag Pramukh Shrikant Sarmalkar along with others for vandalising the Unicontinetal The Habitat in Khar West.
What was Kunal Kamra’s joke?
Kunal Kamra took a swipe at politics in Maharashtra and the election there, referring to the breakaway factions of Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), adding that “one guy” started the trend and using the term ‘gaddar’ (traitor) in describing the person.
“Jo inhone Maharashtra ke election me kia hai… bolna padega… pehle Shiv Sena BJP se bahar aa gayi fir Shiv Sena Shiv Sena se bahar aa gayi… NCP NCP se bahar aa gayi… ek voter ko 9 button dediye… sab confuse ho gaye…” [“What he did in Maharashtra’s election… I have to say… First, Shiv Sena broke away from BJP, then Shiv Sena broke away from Shiv Sena itself… NCP broke away from NCP… they gave nine buttons to a voter… and everyone got confused…],” Kunal Kamra said.
“Chalu ek jan ne kia tha… wo Mumbai me bohot badhiya ek district hai Thane waha se aate hain…”, Kunal Kamra added before starting to sing a song which appeared to be his spin on a number from the movie ‘Dil To Pagal Hai.
“Thane ki rickshaw, chehre pe daadi, aankho me chashma haaye… Thane ki rickshaw, chehre pe daadi, aankho me chashma haaye…ek jhalak dikhlaye kabhi Guwahati me chup jaaye…meri nazar se tum dekho gaddar nazar wo aaye… mantri nahi wo dalbadlu hai aur kaha kya jaaye… jiss thali me khaye usme hi chhed kar jaaye… mantralay se zyada Fadnavis ki godi me mil jaye… teer kaman mila hai isko baap mera yeh chahe…,” Kunal Kamra sang, without taking names.
Even though the comedian did not drop any name, the reference of the above-mentioned lines to Shiv Sena supremo Eknath Shinde is quite clear as the politician represents the Thane assembly constituency of Maharashtra.
“Ye politics hai inki, parivarvad khatam karna tha, kisi ka baap chura lia [This is their politics, they wanted to end family politics, and someone’s father was snatched away],” Kunal Kamra said, seemingly hinting at the Sena vs Sena row in which Eknath Shinde’s faction of the party got the .
Eknath Shinde’s rebellion
In June 2022, Eknath Shinde led a rebellion against the then Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership, along with several MLAs, by moving to Assam’s Guwahati, distancing himself from the party.
Eknath Shinde’s group argued that the Shiv Sena, under Thackeray, had shifted from its core Hindutva ideology by allying with ideologically different parties like the NCP and Congress. Back then, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress was in power in Maharashtra.
After a series of defections, legal battles, and negotiations, Eknath Shinde’s faction gained recognition as the legitimate Shiv Sena, breaking the party into two factions, and became the chief minister of Maharashtra with support from the BJP. The now chief minister, BJP’sDevendra Fadnavis, was sworn in as Eknath Shinde’s deputy.
The Shiv Sena symbol row arose after the split in the party, as both the Shinde faction and Thackeray’s faction claimed the Shiv Sena name and its iconic bow and arrow symbol.
Shiv Sena was founded by Bal Thackeray, father of Uddhav Thackeray.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) was tasked with resolving the dispute and in October 2022, the poll body granted Shinde’s Sena faction the original bow and arrow symbol and name of the party.
This left Uddhav Thackeray’s faction with no choice but to adopt a new name and symbol.
