New Delhi: The BJP has warned of police action against Kunal Kamra after the stand-up comedian posted his picture wearing a T-shirt that allegedly mocks the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule, without taking Kamra’s name, cautioned that police would take action against those posting “objectionable” content online.
“The police would take action against anyone who puts out such objectionable posts,” Bawankule said.
Controversy often seems to follow Kamra. In the past, he has faced backlash for his mid-air clash with journalist Arnab Goswami, for showing the middle finger to former CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde, and earlier this year for creating a song critical of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
On Monday, Kamra shared a picture of himself on X, wearing a T-shirt that has a dog peeing on ‘RSS’ written in red. Alongside, the comedian wrote, “Not clicked at a comedy club.”
BJP’s ally Shiv Sena also stepped in, urging BJP to take strong action against the comedian.
Maharashtra Cabinet minister Sanjay Shirsat insisted that BJP must respond strongly to the comedian’s post, pointing out that Kamra has previously made vile remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
“Earlier, he targeted Prime Minister Modi and Eknath Shinde, and now he has dared to directly attack the RSS. The BJP needs to respond to this,” Shirsat said.
He added, “We (Shiv Sena) responded to it (Kamra’s critical comments on Shinde earlier this year). Now, he has mustered the courage to make an objectionable post against the RSS.”
Song on Eknath Shinde
In March this year, Kamra courted yet another controversy when he made critical comments against Shinde.
The comedian took a jibe at Shinde’s political career in one of his comedy shows by modifying the lyrics of a popular Hindi movie song. Referring to the factions of the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Kamra said that “one guy” started the trend and used the term ‘gaddar’ (traitor) in describing the person. Kamra went on to sing a song which was his spin on a track from Shah Rukh Khan’s film Dil To Pagal Hai.
Angry over Kamra’s comments, Shiv Sena members had damaged the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai’s Khar, and also the premises of the hotel where the club was located.
Mid-air confrontation with Arnab Goswami
In January 2020, on an IndiGo flight, Kamra confronted journalist Arnab Goswami and questioned his journalistic practices. Goswami didn’t react to his comments but the interaction ended up making national headlines. Kamra later shared a video of this incident on social media.
As a repercussion, IndiGo imposed a six-month flight ban on the comedian. And, other airlines like Air India, SpiceJet, and GoAir followed suit, banning Kamra for an indefinite period.
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Morphed video of PM Modi’s event
In May 2022, Kamra faced backlash for sharing a morphed video of a seven-year-old boy singing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Germany visit. The controversy blew up and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had to step in.
The edited clip replaced the original song with Mehengayi Daayan from the 2010 Hindi movie Peepli Live. The child’s father accused Kamra of dragging his son into politics.
The NCPCR later asked Kamra to remove the video. Though Kamra deleted the post, he made a statement saying that his intention was not to mock the child.
The ‘Brahmin-Baniya’ remark
In 2020, Kamra, during his show Be Like, said that the Supreme Court was a ‘Brahmin-Baniya’ affair, with reference to their handling of journalist Arnab Goswami’s bail plea. The comment was seen as a critique of the judiciary’s perceived dominance by members of the Brahmin and Baniya communities.
Several pleas were filed seeking contempt of court proceedings against Kamra, arguing that his comments were derogatory towards the judiciary.
The pleas were based on the argument that his comments were an attack on the judiciary and were an intervention into an existing contempt case against him.
Then-Attorney-General KK Venugopal had granted consent for criminal contempt proceedings to be initiated.
‘Middle finger’ to Chief Justice of India
Kamra, in 2020, posted a picture on X showing his raised index and middle fingers, writing that “one of these 2 fingers is for CJI Arvind Bobde… ok let me not confuse you it’s the middle one”. This was the comedian’s response to the Supreme Court granting interim bail to Arnab Goswami.
The Attorney-General had granted consent to initiate contempt proceedings against Kamra for this gesture.
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Open letter to VHP
Days after one of Kamra’s shows, scheduled to take place at a Gurugram bar, was cancelled following threats by Right-wing organisations, the comedian wrote an open letter to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
In the letter, written in Hindi, Kamra claimed that he was a “bigger Hindu” than the VHP and that he doesn’t earn his living through “fear mongering” and “threatening people”.
Kamra also challenged the VHP to condemn Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse or else they would be perceived as “anti-Hindu”.
Verbal brawl with Ola CEO
Last year, Kamra made headlines after he publicly criticised Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal in a tweet. He highlighted unresolved customer grievances and refund issues.
The exchange escalated when Aggarwal challenged Kamra to assist in resolving customer issues, adding that the job would pay him better “than his flop shows.” Aggarwal also claimed that the comedian’s post was “paid.”
Kamra, in response, said that he would “delete all social media and sit quietly forever” if the Ola founder could prove that he was paid for the tweet.
Kunal Kamra’s brand of comedy is deeply intertwined with political commentary. It continues to provoke strong reactions and controversies.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)