<p>Kunal Kamra (right) reportedly made caustic remarks about Eknath Shinde during his show at Habitat Studio in Mumbai.<br></p>

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing controversy over stand-up comic Kunal Kamra‘s ‘traitor’ joke targeting Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, state mining minister Shambhuraj Desai has warned Kamra, stating that the Shiv Sena workers will take matters into their own hands if the comedian doesn’t reveal his whereabouts.
As per TV reports, Desai accused Kamra of taking “supari” (contract) to defame Shinde, which he called unacceptable for the party and the people of Maharashtra.
Desai, in his remarks, stated that Shinde had so far kept his party workers’ anger in check.
However, he warned that if the situation escalates further, Shiv Sainiks would teach Kamra a lesson for using such language.
The dispute stems from a controversial performance by Kamra at Mumbai’s Habitat Studio, in which he made caustic remarks about Shinde, particularly mocking his role in the 2022 rebellion that led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
Kamra parodied a popular Hindi song, seemingly calling Shinde a “gaddar” (traitor), a reference to his defection from the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray.
The controversy intensified when Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel filed a defamation complaint against Kamra.
The political uproar reached a new height when Shiv Sena members vandalised the Habitat Comedy Club in Khar, where Kamra’s show was filmed.
In response, an FIR was registered against Kamra for allegedly making defamatory remarks, while 40 Shiv Sena workers faced charges for damaging the comedy club.
Police arrested Shiv Sena functionary Rahul Kanal and 11 others for the ransacking incident, though they were granted bail shortly after.
Police have since issued two summons to Kamra. The first one, issued on Tuesday, asked the comedian to appear before authorities, while a second summons was issued on Wednesday. Kamra had requested a week’s time to respond.
(With agency inputs)