Comedian Kunal Kamra is not a neutral artist or satirist. He is a staunch leftist and a fierce critic of the current regime at the centre. He is entitled to his beliefs and opinions even when he uses the freedom of expression or the artistic freedom to target those who have a different political ideology than his.
This time he has landed in trouble for abusing the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as “gaddaar” (traitor). This is a clear and categorical abuse and insult to someone who is an elected representative of people, having been the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and now the Deputy Chief Minister.
Who is Kamra to pronounce judgement on what Shinde did? He has neither any right nor any authority to do so. And that too uses a highly abusive word, the “traitor”. There was nothing comic or satirical about it. It was a blunt and blatant abuse of a public figure in the name of “freedom of expression” or the “artistic freedom”, although there is nothing even artistic about it. Art and abuse do not go together.
Also read: Free speech can't be judged by weak minds: SC
That there is a clear political agenda behind Kamra’s “abuse” goes without saying. Shinde is not the only politician in the country who has “revolted” against his own party and switched sides. Besides, he got the public endorsement with popular vote for what he did. There is an umpteen number of such political leaders like that. How many of them has Kamra marked out at “traitors”? None. Why did he need to single out Shinde? It does not need any special political knowledge or deep understanding to make out the reason for his abusing Shinde.
Uddhav Thackeray, too, parted ways with the Bharatiya Janata Party and aligned with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party. Thackeray had won so many seats in alliance with the BJP. He developed differences with the BJP over Chief Ministership and aligned with the Congress and the NCP after ditching his long-time alliance partner. This was the most opportunistic political alliance with hardly any parallels in the country’s political history. Shiv Sena and Congress as also the NCP were ideologically poles apart. Yet they came together to form a government. Did Kamra make any such comment about this alliance?
Another, in fact the main, reason for Kamra’s abuse of Shinde appears to be his falling TRP. With the ascent of a new breed of stand-up comedians, Kamra had completely gone into “comic oblivion”. He had virtually lost the “comedy stage” to the fresh entrants. Moreover, their comedy is actually “the real comedy” that makes people laugh, as compared to Kamra’s, which has obvious political overtones with toxic content.
That way Kamra has succeeded in coming to limelight again. His followers on the social media platforms have multiplied once again, the same way when he abused senior journalist Arnab Goswami in a flight. Kamra was barred from flying for some time for this abuse. Kamra is a repeat offender. That time, too, he wanted to get into the limelight, which he got.
Now having been made to face the law, he has started crying about the “freedom of expression” and the “artistic freedom”. He has been granted an anticipatory bail by the Madras High Court as he feared arrest by the Maharashtra Police, which has registered a criminal case against him. Like any other citizen of the country, he is entitled to his legal rights.
At the same time he should also respect the reputation of others. Describing an elected representative of people, who has risen from the ranks to become a Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, as a “traitor” is unacceptable. Moreover what Shinde did was endorsed by the people of Maharashtra as Shiv Sena rank and file mainly rallied around him while abandoning Uddhav Thackeray. After all there is and there should be a limit to “freedom of expression”.
Now Kamra has targeted the country’s media. Just because the mainstream media has not bought his narrative, he has vented his frustration on the entire media in the country, describing it as a “vulture”. “The mainstream media at this point is nothing but a miscommunication arm of the ruling party. They are vultures, who report on issues that don’t matter to the people of this country. If they all shut shop from tomorrow till eternity they will be doing favour to the country, its people & their own children”, he wrote on ‘X’. There must not be any leniency in this matter. Law must take its own course. Nobody has the licence to abuse anyone in the name of “freedom of expression” or “artistic freedom”.
While Kamra deserves to be held accountable according to the law, which he is being made to face, at the same time all those who vandalised the venue where he made abusive remarks against Shinde, must also be brought to the book. Those people have unnecessarily helped Kamra to sell his “abusive agenda” better. Law must take its own course here as well.
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