Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra (Picture from X)
NEW DELHI: Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has once again landed in controversy — this time over a photo he shared online wearing a T-shirt that appeared to mock the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The post quickly triggered outrage within the BJP, with the saffron party warning of police action.Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the government would not ignore such posts. “The police would take action against anyone who puts out such objectionable posts,” he warned, responding to Kamra’s picture that showed a dog image alongside a reference to the RSS, the ideological parent of the BJP.Shiv Sena cabinet minister Sanjay Shirsat — whose party is a BJP ally — said the saffron party must respond strongly this time, recalling Kamra’s past potshots at both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. “Earlier, he targeted Prime Minister Modi and Eknath Shinde, and now he has dared to directly attack the RSS. The BJP needs to respond to this,” Shirsat said.“We (Shiv Sena) responded to it (to Kamra’s critical comments on Shinde earlier this year). Now, he has mustered the courage to make an objectionable post against the RSS,” he added.This is not Kamra’s first clash with political leaders. In March, he sparked a storm after mocking Shinde during a show by tweaking the lyrics of a popular Hindi film song. Angered by his remarks, Shiv Sena workers later vandalised the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai’s Khar — the venue where Kamra had performed — as well as the hotel building it is housed in. Amid the fresh uproar, Kamra remained defiant. He clarified online that the photograph linked to the RSS reference was not “clicked at a comedy club,” pushing back against suggestions that the image was part of a performance. BJP leaders continue to call his post insulting and provocative.