New Delhi: Comedian Kunal Kamra and Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami were on the same Indigo flight – what happened thereafter is now a Twitter legend. In case you slept through the whole Kamra & Goswami incident, here’s a quick recap, in the words of the comedian, who is now giving Donald Trump competition by the frequency of his tweets.
*My Statement* pic.twitter.com/cxFcSCq0Jf
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) January 28, 2020
I used to earlier make calculated decisions using my mind & I use to care about how the work I put out makes me look…
The mind is a coward & takes calculated risks & measures rewards, I’m no more a mathematician I now follow my heart…
The heart is stupid ???
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) January 29, 2020
Modiji can I walk yaan uspe bhi baan hai…
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) January 29, 2020
The drama didn’t end there: by Tuesday evening, IndiGo had banned Kamra for six months from its flights.
@MoCA_GoI @HardeepSPuri In light of the recent incident on board 6E 5317 from Mumbai to Lucknow, we wish to inform that we are suspending Mr. Kunal Kamra from flying with IndiGo for a period of six months, as his conduct onboard was unacceptable behaviour. 1/2
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 28, 2020
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri condemned Kamra’s behaviour and advised other airlines to ban the comedian as well.
Offensive behaviour designed to provoke & create disturbance inside an aircraft is absolutely unacceptable & endangers safety of air travellers.
We are left with no option but to advise other airlines to impose similar restrictions on the person concerned. https://t.co/UHKKZfdTVS
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) January 28, 2020
Air India, SpiceJet and GoAir dutifully followed his advice.
SpiceJet has decided to suspend Mr. Kunal Kamra from flying with the airline till further notice. @MoCA_GoI @DGCAIndia @HardeepSPuri @IndiGo6E
— SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) January 29, 2020
#FlyAI: In view of the incident onboard @IndiGo6E, Air India wishes to inform that conduct of Person concerned is unacceptable.With a view to discourage such behavior onboard flts, Mr Kunal Kamra is suspended from flying on any Air India flt until further notice. @HardeepSPuri .
— Air India (@airindiain) January 28, 2020
GoAir has suspended Mr. Kunal Kamra from flying with the airline till further notice @MoCA_GoI @DGCAIndia @HardeepSPuri @IndiGo6E
— GoAir (@goairlinesindia) January 29, 2020
Meanwhile, Twitter was flooded with mixed reactions. Comedian Varun Thakur’s is probably the funniest.
Breaking : Wright Brothers also announce that everyone will be allowed to use their invention except Kunal Kamra.
— Varun Thakur (@VarunmThakur) January 29, 2020
Congress’ Shashi Tharoor is measured.
The truth is that it was time someone gave him a taste of his own medicine. These are the words he regularly uses to berate his innocent victims, except he does so in a hectoring, bullying manner & at higher volume & pitch than @kunalkamra88 does in this video. https://t.co/e94B8WcEtj
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 28, 2020
PDP’s Mehboob Mufti condemns the ‘disproportionate’ nature of the action against Kamra.
Quick & disproportionate action against a harmless comedian but not a single word of condemnation against a Union Minister for shouting slogans & inciting masses to shoot ‘traitors’. Priorities
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 28, 2020
Congress leader and legal eagle Abhishek Manu Singhvi is scrupulously fair.
Kunal Kamra ban harsh but as per law. No matter how many grievances you share with a person, heckling someone in their private space that too on a flight is unacceptable & mob behavior which should not be encouraged.
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) January 29, 2020
Director Vivek Agnihotri thinks the airline ban is a good idea for Kamra—but you won’t guess why.
Waise bhi for his own safety he must not fly for sometime. You never know there might be another Kamra who may heckle real Kamra. All these tweet expert liberals won’t come to defend. https://t.co/SbdkXVTm2e
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) January 29, 2020
Activist-writer Madhu Kishwar is so annoyed on behalf of Goswami, she turns imaginative: what is a ‘lowly pest’, Ms Kishwar?
#Kamra sounds like those professional beggars desperate for attention on red lights. Smart of #ArnabGoswami @republic for having ignored him like a lowly pest. https://t.co/9RgHYhCuTH
— MadhuPurnima Kishwar (@madhukishwar) January 28, 2020
Whew! Now that we are done with Karma katha, on to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s tweet on the ‘turning around’ of the economy.
Modi & his dream team of economic advisors have literally turned the economy around.
Earlier:
GDP: 7.5%
Inflation: 3.5%Now:
GDP: 3.5%
Inflation: 7.5%The PM & FM have absolutely no idea what to do next. #Budget2020
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 29, 2020
Is this Prashant Kishor’s farewell message to JD(U) President and chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar?
.@NitishKumar what a fall for you to lie about how and why you made me join JDU!! Poor attempt on your part to try and make my colour same as yours!
And if you are telling the truth who would believe that you still have courage not to listen to someone recommended by @AmitShah?
— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) January 28, 2020
Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar’s Saraswati Puja greetings has to rank amongst the oddest.
https://twitter.com/ShoojitSircar/status/1222384544419962881?s=19
And, US President Donald Trump is on another rant. This time it’s against one of his own men — former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
Why didn’t John Bolton complain about this “nonsense” a long time ago, when he was very publicly terminated. He said, not that it matters, NOTHING!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2020