On Monday, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar underlined the need to remain within the limits of the law, in accordance with the Constitution, and to ensure that one's words are within the rights available to them.
His comments came as a reaction to the furore over stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra's "gaddar" insult directed against Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Pawar pointed out that though disagreements are inevitable, people must be careful not to utter words that may invite police action. "One should speak within their rights and never transgress the law," he said.
The row broke out when Shiv Sena workers organized robust protests and damaged the 'Unicontinental Mumbai' hotel in Khar, where Kamra had performed. The protesters smashed chairs and destroyed the set, showing their displeasure with Kamra's remarks.
While performing, Kamra ridiculed Shinde by using a popular Hindi song from the movie *Dil To Pagal Hai*, and the audience burst into laughter. In the altered lyrics, Kamra spoke about Shinde's rebellion in 2022, which had caused a division within Shiv Sena, leading to a battle between the Shinde camp and the Uddhav Thackeray camp. Kamra posted a clip of the performance on X, adding more fuel to the controversy.
Reacting to the incident, Shiv Sena leader and former Minister Aditya Thackeray came in support of Kamra on X, saying, "Mindhe's coward gang shatters the comedy show stage where comedian @kunalkamra88 released a song on Eknath Mindhe, which was 100% true. Only an insecure coward would respond to a song by someone. Btw, what happened to law and order in the state? Another attempt to discredit the CM and Home Minister by Eknath Mindhe."
Contrary to this, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske alleged Kamra was being hired by Thackeray to go after Deputy Chief Minister Shinde. "Kamra is a contract comedian. But he should not have trodden on the snake's tail. After the fangs are exposed, there will be serious consequences… We will ensure that you are not able to move about in the entire country. We are Shiv Sainiks of the late Balasaheb Thackeray. If we begin to track you, you will have to leave the country," he threatened.
At the same time, another MP, Milind Deora, condemned Kamra for taunting Shinde as a self-made leader. In an X post, Deora wrote, "Taunting Eknath Shinde ji—a self-made leader who rose from being an auto driver to driving India's second-largest state—demonstrates classist arrogance. India is moving away from entitled dynasts and their sycophantic system that hypocritically pretends to be a meritocracy and a democracy."
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