A privilege motion committee of the state legislature has issued a notice against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and UBT Shiv Sena leader Sushma Andhare for their derogatory remarks against Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde a few months ago. The notice has escalated the issue for both Kamra and Andhare, and it appears the state government is unwilling to forgive them for the controversy.
Prasad Lad, Chairman of the Privilege Committee, confirmed that the notice was issued to Kamra and Andhare on Friday. The committee will now send them a questionnaire via the Deputy Commissioner of Police, requesting written responses within 15 days. If they fail to respond, two additional notices will be sent. If their answers are found to be unsatisfactory, the committee will take further action as per legislative procedure, Lad added.
Kunal Kamra, during his comedy show Naya Bharat, made ironic remarks targeting Eknath Shinde in a song. The song poked fun at Shinde's beard, glasses, and his sudden shift in political alliances to become Chief Minister. A video of the performance gained significant traction on social media. This led to an angry reaction from Shiv Sena workers, who ransacked Kamra’s studio in Mumbai. An FIR was filed against Kamra, and the UBT Shiv Sena party extensively shared the video. Sushma Andhare, a UBT Shiv Sena leader, also sang the same ironic song and shared it on social media.
In the meantime, Kamra was granted protection from arrest by the Bombay High Court.
The issue was raised in the last state assembly session when MLC Pravin Darekar proposed a privilege motion against the duo on the final day of the budget session in March. Ruling alliance parties called for strict action against Kamra and Andhare. Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde then forwarded the proposal to the Privilege Committee, which has now issued the notice.
Pravin Darekar, while submitting the privilege motion, stated that the language used by Sushma Andhare and the song sung by Kamra mocking the Deputy Chief Minister was an affront to the dignity of the legislative assembly. Darekar requested that the privilege motion against Kamra and Andhare be allowed. In response, Chairman Ram Shinde announced that the matter had been referred to the Privilege Committee for appropriate action.
