Mumbai:
Hitting out at the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena over the ‘gaddar’ (traitor) jibe, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has repeated the allegation that its use by Kunal Kamra in a satirical song about him was part of a ‘supari’ (contract) given to the comedian.
The Shiv Sena chief also alleged that while the Uddhav faction of the Sena and others in the opposition in Maharashtra are talking about the Constitution and freedom of speech now, there have been several instances in the past when they have acted against people who criticised them. Mr Shinde cited the example of the bulldozing of actor-MP Kangana Ranaut’s Mumbai office in 2020 after she spoke out against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government’s handling of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.
Mr Shinde has been called a traitor several times by the Uddhav Thackeray faction after he split the Shiv Sena in 2022 and joined hands with the BJP. The move had led to the Thackeray-led government falling in Maharashtra and being replaced with one headed by Mr Shinde.
Speaking in the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Wednesday, Mr Shinde thundered, “You keep calling me ‘gaddar, gaddar‘, you will soon have to close the ‘daar‘ (door in Marathi) of your party.”
Referring to the verdict given by the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker and the Election Commission – that the faction led by him is the “real” Shiv Sena – and the thumping win achieved by the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) in last year’s Assembly polls in the state, Mr Shinde continued, “The Election Commission, Supreme Court and the Speaker of the House have said who is the ‘gaddar‘. More importantly, the people, who are above everyone, have also given their verdict. No matter how much “supari” (contract) you give, nothing’s going to work.”
In a show shot at the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai’s Khar, Mr Kamra had made some comments on the Eknath Shinde chief – without naming him – through a satirical version of the song ‘Bholi si surat‘ from the 1997 blockbuster ‘Dil To Pagal Hai‘. The satirical song also had a mention of ‘gaddar‘.
‘Where Was Your Constitution?’
After a row erupted, Shiv Sena workers vandalised the Habitat Comedy Club on Sunday and a case was filed against him, Mr Kamra said he would cooperate with the police but would not apologise for his remarks.
While ending his show, the comedian had also shown a copy of the Constitution to the audience and said, “For all of the people who will not like this show, I have something for you… This is the Constitution of India and this is what allows me to do what I do.”
Members of the Uddhav Sena and other opposition parties have also accused Mr Shinde of going against the Constitution by seeking action against Mr Kamra, prompting the Shiv Sena chief to hit back on Wednesday.
Mr Shinde brought up instances of a comedian Pranit More being thrashed last month for comments against Veer Pahariya, who is the grandson of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde of the Congress, the demolition of Kangana Ranaut’s office and the united Shiv Sena’s reaction after popular Radio Jockey Malishka had made a satirical song about potholes in 2017.
“Where was your constitution when you beat up a retired person from merchant navy? When Pranit More was beaten in Solapur… when you bulldozed Kangana’s office?” Mr Shinde asked.
“Anyone shows the constitution these days, in a diary,” he added, in what was seen as a dig at both Mr Kamra and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.