Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on March 24 addressed the controversy surrounding stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra's alleged defamatory remarks about Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, stating that calling a "traitor" a "gaddar" is not wrong.
"I don't think Kunal Kamra said anything wrong. Calling a 'gaddar' a 'gaddar' is not an attack on anyone... Listen to the full song from Kunal Kamra's show and share it with others," Uddhav Thackeray was quoted as saying by ANI.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief also clarified that his party had no involvement in the vandalism at Habitat Studio, located at the Unicontinental Hotel in Mumbai's Khar area.
"Shiv Sena has nothing to do with this attack, this has been done by 'gaddar sena'...Those who have 'gaddari' in their blood can never be a Shiv Sainik," Uddhav Thackeray added.
While performing at the Habitat Studio at the Unicontinental Hotel in Mumbai's Khar area, Kamra referred to Shinde as a "traitor" and sang a parody of him.
On Sunday night, several Shiv Sena workers went to the studio and vandalised it.
On Monday, the Mumbai Police arrested 11 members of Shiv Sena's youth faction, Yuva Sena, for their involvement in the vandalisation of the Habitat comedy club, the venue of the stand-up gig.
Police said that the youth group stormed the comedy club in the middle of another comedian's show, forcing it to stop and then vandalised the venue where Kamra's special was filmed.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel filed an FIR against Kunal Kamra for his remarks on party supremo Eknath Shinde and demanded strict action.
Eknath Shinde had split the Shiv Sena in 2002 and pulled down the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Later the Election Commission of India (ECI) ruled in favour of his faction, giving him Shiv Sena라이브 바카라 official name and election symbol.
Politicians React
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has insulted Eknath Shinde with his remarks and should apologise for his "low-level comedy".
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar also reacted to the row and said that people should respect legal boundaries.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said Kamra similarly joked about the MVA government and condemned hooliganism.
NCP-SCP MLA Rohit Pawar, this is not the pre-2014 era for comedians to enjoy freedom of expression and urged leaders to impart some wisdom to their party workers.
