Maha Council admits breach of privilege notice against Kamra

Mumbai: Comedian Kunal Kamra continued to face heat for his jokes on Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde as the Legislative Council admitted a breach of privilege notice against him, while a state minister on Thursday sought his arrest, saying: “We know how to drag him out”.

Twice summoned by the Mumbai police, the 36-year-old stand-up comic, whose caustic comments on Shinde during his latest show in the metropolis, have landed him in trouble and triggered a huge row, vented his ire at the media, calling it a “miscommunication arm” of the ruling party.

Amid mounting legal trouble for Kamra, the state Legislative Council has admitted a breach of privilege notice against him for allegedly insulting Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, during his recent performance.

Council chairperson Ram Shinde said on Thursday he has accepted the notice against Kamra over the ‘traitor’ jibe at Shinde and forwarded it to the Privileges Committee.

The controversy stems from Kamra’s show at the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai’s Khar, where he performed a parody song targeting Shinde. The act prompted a strong backlash from Shiv Sena supporters, who vandalised the club and the hotel in which it is located on Sunday night.

Kamra was booked by the Khar police on a complaint by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel for allegedly making defamatory remarks against the Deputy Chief Minister.

As per police sources, the comedian, who is currently in Puducherry according to his Instagram bio, has been asked to appear before authorities in Mumbai within a week.

Talking to reports in Pune, state tourism minister and Shiv Sena leader Shambhuraj Desai said the police should arrest Kamra at the earliest and not test the patience of party workers. “We have been asked by Shinde to be observe restraint, that is why we are quiet. As Shiv Sena workers, we know how to drag him out from wherever he is hiding, but as ministers we have some restrictions,” Desai said.

“We want to tell the police, do not test our patience and nab him from wherever he is, put him in a tyre and give him ‘prasad’,” the Sena minister added.

In Marathi, the word `prasad’ means an offering made to God, but it is also used as a euphemism for punishment.