The selected cartoons appeared first in other publications, either in print or online, or on social media, and are credited appropriately.
In today’s featured cartoon, R Prasad refers to the brutal murder of a tailor, Kanhaiya Lal Teli, in Udaipur Tuesday, allegedly over a social media post he supposedly shared in support of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Sharma, whose controversial remarks on the Prophet Muhammad sparked outrage across the Middle East, was suspended by her party earlier this month and labelled as a “fringe element” by the Ministry of External Affairs. The suspects arrested in Kanhaiya Lal’s murder, meanwhile, are thought to have Islamic fundamentalist leanings.
Also in the context of the murder in Udaipur, Manjul takes a jibe at news channels that have often been accused of thriving on high-decibel, polarising “Hindu-Muslim” debates.
E.P. Unny takes a dig at the political turmoil underway in Maharashtra. After a rebellion by Shiv Sena MLAs against their own party led to the resignation of Sena chief and CM Uddhav Thackeray, and the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition government, the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis looked set to return as CM. However, Fadnavis in a surprise move Thursday announced that instead, Sena rebel leader Eknath Shinde would become CM, with the BJP supporting his government from outside.
Alok Nirantar draws on Uddhav Thackeray’s resignation, depicting his late father and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and alluding to a spine surgery Uddhav underwent last year.
Satish Acharya also refers to the rebellion by Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde that led to former CM Uddhav Thackeray’s resignation, while alluding to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari ordering a floor test to determine the majority in the state assembly “within 24 hours” of receiving a request from the BJP.