Comedian Kunal Kamra latest stand-up routine, uploaded on YouTube and Instagram, has enraged Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s supporters. On Sunday, members of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction vandalized the Mumbai venue where Kamra’s show was filmed and warned that he would not be allowed to “walk freely.”
While Kamra did not explicitly name Shinde, his comments made a clear reference to the leader’s defection from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena. During his act, Kamra mocked the recent political turmoil in Maharashtra, highlighting the chaotic realignment of parties.
“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,” Kamra joked, pointing to the split within Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Another punchline appeared to take a swipe at Shinde’s faction gaining control of the party after the split. “This is their politics they wanted to end dynastic rule, but they ended up snatching someone’s father,” Kamra quipped.
Shinde’s supporters responded with outrage. Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel lodged an FIR against Kamra, while the police in Mumbai’s Khar area detained Shiv Sena deputy leader Rahool Kanal and Vibhag Pramukh Shrikant Sarmalkar, along with others, for vandalizing the Unicontinental The Habitat venue.
Despite the backlash, Kamra’s act has reignited the debate on political satire and free speech in Maharashtra.