A political slugfest has broken out in Maharashtra after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanded an apology from stand-up comic Kunal Kamra on Monday, even as Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders began to support Kamra.

Fadnavis said, “Even though there is freedom to do stand-up comedy, he (Kunal Kamra) cannot speak whatever he wants. The people of Maharashtra have decided who the traitor (“gaddaar”) is. Kunal Kamra should apologise. This will not be tolerated. There is a right to do comedy, but if it is being done to defame our Deputy CM Eknath Shinde deliberately, then it is not right”.

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“Kunal Kamra has posted the same red constitution book shown by Rahul Gandhi. Both of them have not read the constitution. The constitution allows us freedom of speech, but it has limitations. People have voted and supported us in the assembly elections in 2024. Those who were traitors were sent home by the people. The people showed those who insulted the mandate and ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray their place. One may create comedy, but making derogatory statements cannot be accepted. One cannot encroach on others’ freedom and ideology. This cannot be justified as freedom of speech,” Fadnavis said.

In a related development, Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Home Affairs Yogesh Kadam said on Monday that the location of stand-up comic Kunal Kamra, who allegedly made unsavoury references about Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, is being tracked by the police and strict action will be taken against Kamra as per the law. “Kamra’s location is being traced. Strict action will be taken as per the law. One must understand both sides of the coin,” he said.

During his performance at the Habitat Studio at the Unicontinental hotel in Mumbai’s Khar area, Kamra had allegedly referred to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as a “gaddaar” (traitor) in his parody song, though Shinde’s name was never mentioned anywhere in the song.

Kmara had sung a parody version of ‘Bholi Si Surat’, a popular song from the 1997 film ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ after which multiple FIRs have been filed against Kamra, including one based on a complaint by Maharashtra Transport minister Pratap Sarnaik of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Meanwhile, stand-up comic Kunal Kamra has stated that he does not regret his remarks, according to Mumbai police sources.

The sources said that Kunam Kamra, who is presently in Tamil Nadu, also denied the allegations that he had been paid by the Opposition to tarnish Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s reputation.

Kamra also told the police that they are welcome to check his financial details if needed, adding that he would apologise for his act, only if asked to do so by a court of law.

It is learnt that the functionaries of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena have threatened to teach Kunal Kamra a lesson.

Earlier, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena functionary Rahul Kanal said after vandalising the Habitat Studio Comedy Club at the Unicontinental Hotel in Mumbai’s suburb of Khar, “This is just a trailer. If anybody says anything derogatory about our senior leader or our elders, we will not spare them”.

Shiv Sena’s Thane MP Naresh Mhaske, who is a close aide of Deputy CM Shinde, said that “Kamra would not be able to move freely in India and would have to move out of India”.

Mhaske accused the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena of hiring Kamra to target Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. “He is a hired comedian and hence is making comments on our leader for some money. Let alone Maharashtra, Kunal Kamra cannot freely go anywhere in India. Shiv Sainiks will show him his place,” Mhaske said, adding that Kamra would have to apologise.

However, the Opposition supported Kamra and criticised the BJP-led Mahayuti government for deteriorating law and order after Eknath Shinde-led Sena leaders vandalised the venue where Kunal Kamra had performed.

Interestingly, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar of the NCP said he favoured dissent, adding, “There need not be police involvement in this matter. Nobody should go beyond law, constitution and rules. They should speak within their rights. There can be differences, but it should be noted that there need not be any police involvement”.

Leaders from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena condemned the attack on Kamra and criticised the Fadnavis government. Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut called Fadnavis “a weak home minister” while sharing footage of vandalism by functionaries of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Shiv Sena leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray defended Kunal Kamra’s parody song on Shinde, stating it was “100 percent true” and that “only an insecure coward would react to a song by someone”.

In his post tweeted on X, Aaditya Thackeray said, “Mindhe’s (nick name for Eknath Shinde) coward gang breaks the comedy show stage where comedian @kunalkamra88 put out a song on Eknath Mindhe, which was 100 percent true. Only an insecure coward would react to a song by someone”.

Sanjay Raut defended Kunal Kamra citing ‘freedom of speech’ while sharing an old video of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s ’50 khoke ekdam ok’ (“Rs 50 crore and everything’s okay”) remark, when Pawar was part of the then undivided NCP.

Reposting an old video of Ajit Pawar’s ’50 khoke ekdam ok’ (Rs 50 crore and everything is okay) remark, Raut noted that this was what Kunal Kamra had referenced in his show.

“Even small kids know what is 50 khoke ekdam okay. When people hear the siren of vehicles, they say 50 crore person, gaddaar (traitor) is going,” Ajit Pawar had said in the old video reposted by Raut, suggesting that the phrase reflected public sentiment.

Raut demanded that CM Fadnavis should recover damages from Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leaders who vandalised the venue where Kunal Kamra had performed, exactly like he did with the Nagpur rioters. “Those who vandalised Kunal Kamra’s studio should be made to compensate for the loss of property,” Raut said.

He said Maharathra’s state capital is being run by goons. He said that in whatever Kamra sang or said, he had never named anyone directly. “It is clear that Fadnavis is completely incapable of handling the home department. After the Nagpur violence, the chief minister had said that the damage caused to property will be recovered from rioters. On Sunday night, workers of the Shinde Sena damaged property. In such a situation, damages should be recovered from them as well,” Raut said.

Raut said, “Union Minister Amit Shah has made the country a police state, but Maharashtra is an exception to this. Maharashtra has a goonda state. An attempt is being made to make the entire Maharashtra a Beed district. Kunal Kamra has also made political satire. But 50 to 60 people go and break the studio. This shows that Maharashtra has a weak home minister (Fadnavis)”. He attacked Fadnavis saying that he should resign from the post of home minister of Maharashtra.

“When the studio was destroyed, was the police sleeping? Is there an emergency in Maharashtra? The Mumbai Police Commissioner should be transferred for yesterday’s incident. This entire plot was cooked up one and a half to two hours in advance. What was the Mumbai Police doing,” Raut asked.

Raut said that action should also be taken against the senior police officials of the police station where this incident took place. “Maharashtra is being vilified in the country in terms of law and order. Take action against those who give threats. People in politics should tolerate sarcastic criticism. If Fadnavis wants to maintain his reputation, he should take action against the rioters. Why didn’t those who did this attack attack Prashant Koratkar who insulted Shivaji Maharaj? If you do that, then the entire Maharashtra will stand by you,” Sanjay Raut said.

Congress leader Nana Patole called the Kunal Kamra venue attack as an attempt to “destroy Maharashtra”. He also criticised the Fadnavis government and said that there was “no law and order” in the state.

“There is no law and order in Maharashtra. People are leaving Maharashtra out of fear. The industries are leaving from here. The government says that there should be peace in the state, but they are engaging in vandalism like this. They want to destroy Maharashtra,” Patole said.

Sharad Pawar-led NCP leader Rohit Pawar supported Kunal Kamra saying, “Such satirical remarks were a strength for several tall leaders, like Balasaheb Thackeray. Eknath Shinde is his worker. In 2003, such remarks were made on Chhagan Bhujbal, who is now in Mahayuti. At that time, his workers vandalised an office. Taking responsibility for it, Chhagan Bhujbal had resigned”.

Yet, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC slammed Kamra’s comedy special calling it “vulgarity”. “You call Maharashtra’s most popular CM and deputy CM ‘gaddaar’ and label it comedy. This isn’t comedy. It’s vulgarity,” she said.

“Who is this Kunal Kamra, hired and used as a puppet by UBT as a diversionary tactic? Can you stoop so low for cheap publicity?” she said.

Eknath Shiv Sena MLA Muraji Patel also filed a separate complaint, based on which an FIR was registered against Kamra at the MIDC police station. Patel demanded strict action and insisted that Kunal Kamra issue a public apology within two days, warning that failure to do so would result in restrictions on his movement in Mumbai.

Patel said, “I want to tell him to apologise to Eknath Shinde within two days; otherwise, Shiv Sainiks will not let him move about freely in Mumbai. If he is seen anywhere in public, we will paint his face black. We will take up this issue in the Assembly and request our state’s home minister to order action against him as soon as possible”.

“The comments which were made by elitist and classist people, who are disguised as comedians, need to be called out. Maharashtra is very proud of a man who started as an auto rickshaw driver and rose to become the CM of Maharashtra,” Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member and former union minister Milind Deora said.

“Mocking Shinde, a self-made leader who rose from driving an auto to leading India’s second largest state—reeks of classist arrogance. India is rejecting entitled monarchs & their bootlicking ecosystem that pretends to champion meritocracy and democracy,” Deora said.

Shiv Sena’s Thane MP Naresh Mhaske, who is a close aide of Shinde, said that Kamra would not be able to move freely in India and would have to move out of India.

He accused the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena of hiring Kamra to target Shinde. “He is a hired comedian, and he is making comments on our leader for some money. Let alone Maharashtra, Kunal Kamra cannot freely go anywhere in India, Shiv Sainiks will show him his place,” he said, adding that Kamra would have to apologise.