The Privileges Committee of the Maharashtra state Legislative Council on Wednesday issued summons to controversial stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena leader Sushma Andhare for allegedly making “insulting” remarks against Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde in March 2025.
Talking to media persons here on Wednesday, BJP Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Prasad Lad, who is the Chairperson of the council’s Privileges Committee, said that the notice was issued to Kamra and Andhare 15 days ago, adding that they have been asked to appear before the Committee for a hearing at 2 pm on Thursday.
“If they fail to turn up after two summons, the Committee will decide about taking action against them,” Prasad Lad said.
Incidentally, Kunal Kamra, who now lives in Tamil Nadu, had parodied a popular Bollywood film song, allegedly ridiculing breakaway Shiv Sena chief and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena leader Sushma Andhare allegedly supported the parody and also criticised Shinde.
Allegedly, during a live stage performance, Kunal Kamra, who lived in Mumbai until a few years ago, sang a parody based on the song ‘Bholi Si Surat’ from the 1997 Bollywood film ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’. The parody was perceived as being directed at Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, though he was never directly named in the song. Kamra had also allegedly used the word ‘gaddaar’ (traitor) in the parody song to describe a politician widely assumed to be Eknath Shinde. Kamra’s parody song was perceived to be a reference to Shinde’s rebellion and forming another political party after splitting the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in 2022.
This led to multiple FIRs being filed against Kunal Kamra, including one based on a complaint by Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, after a video of Kunal Kamra’s Mumbai show called ‘Naya Bharat’ went viral online.
It also led to a mob led by Rahul Kanal, a functionary of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, vandalising the Habitat Studio Comedy Club at the Unicontinental Hotel in Mumbai’s Khar West suburb. The Mumbai police later arrested Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena functionary Rahul Kanal, along with 11 others, for ransacking the venue at the hotel.
Later, when Shinde Sena workers threatened Kunal Kamra on the phone, saying they would teach him a lesson, Kamra told them they were welcome to come to Tamil Nadu, where he has been residing for the past few years.
BJP MLC Pravin Darekar had moved a breach of privilege notice against Kunal Kamra and Uddhav Sena leader Sushma Andhare for allegedly making “derogatory remarks” against Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, whose party is a constituent of the BJP-led Mahayuti government.