Eknath Shinde remark: Kunal Kamra responds after show-cause notice by Maha privilege committee; says ‘Jokes are my right’ | India News

NEW DELHI: A day after the Maharashtra legislature’s privileges committee decided to issue a show cause notice to stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, he responded defiantly on Tuesday with a post on X, saying, “Show-cause notice is your Privilege. Jokes are my Right.” The privileges committee has decided to send notices to both Kamra and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare for their comments about deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde. BJP MLC Prasad Lad, who heads the committee, said on Monday that the notice would be issued in two days. “The draft (of the notice) has been sent to the law and judiciary department for legal opinion. Once finalised, it will be dispatched to both Kamra and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare through the police commissioner,” he was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI. During the state legislature’s Budget session, BJP MLC Pravin Darekar had submitted a breach of privilege notice against Kamra and Andhare. The notice said Kamra’s parody song had insulting references to Shinde, and that Andhare had supported Kamra and used language that amounted to contempt of the legislature. Council chairman Ram Shinde had referred the matter to the privileges committee in June. The committee met last week and decided to proceed with show cause notices. Kamra’s performance, where he called Shinde a “traitor” for the 2022 Shiv Sena split, took place at the Habitat Comedy Club in the Unicontinental hotel in Khar, Mumbai. The parody song was based on a track from the Hindi film Dil Toh Pagal Hai. Following the act, Shiv Sena functionary Rahul Kanal and 11 others ransacked the venue in March this year. Kamra criticised the incident and refused to apologise. He was later booked by the Khar police based on a complaint from Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel for allegedly making defamatory remarks about the deputy CM. Kamra told the Madras high court that he moved from Mumbai to Tamil Nadu in 2021 and is :ordinarily a resident of this State since then”. He also said he feared arrest by Mumbai Police. The Madras high court extended Kamra’s interim anticipatory bail until April 17. Kamra did not appear before the Mumbai Police, which had summoned him twice.