Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanded stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra to apologise for his joke on his deputy Eknath Shinde, saying no insults or defamatory remarks against leaders would be tolerated. "There is no issue with humour, but defaming and insulting leaders cannot be tolerated at all," the BJP leader said, while speaking to reporters.

Fadnavis minced no words in reprimanding Kamra's jokes, in which he termed Shinde "traitor" for aligning with the BJP. The Maharashtra Chief Minister said the comedian's attempts to insult his deputy were "wrong" and will not be tolerated.

"Kunal Kamra should remember that people have shown in the Assembly elections 2024 as to who are traitors and who are not. Those who insulted the mandate and ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray were shown their place by the people," Fadnavis added.

He stressed that any form of humour making derogatory comments on leaders cannot be accepted.

"Kamra should apologise. The Constitution book he is using in his X post is the same which was shown by Rahul Gandhi. Neither of them has read the Constitution," Fadnavis told reporters.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister also said that one cannot encroach on others' freedom and ideologies, and it could not be justified as "freedom of speech".

Ajit Pawar, who shares the Deputy Chief Minister's post with Shinde, echoed Fadnavis, saying no individual should "go beyond the law".

"Nobody should go beyond the law, Constitution and rules. They should speak within their rights. There can be differences, but it should be noted that there need not be police involvement," Pawar said.

Source: India Today