Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath slammed comedian Kunal Kamra, stating that some people have treated freedom of speech as their “birthright” to divide the country further.
“The freedom of expression cannot be used to attack. It is unfortunate that some people considered the freedom of speech as their birthright to divide the country and further deepen divisions,” Adityanath said in an interview with ANI.
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“People have treated freedom of speech as a birthright to divide the country further.” — U.P CM Yogi Adityanath on the Kunal Kamra controversy
“DK Shivakumar is saying exactly what he has inherited from… pic.twitter.com/XHUyYg7sc2
— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2025
Kamra recently courted controversy when he made jokes about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, labelling him a “traitor” and performing a parody about him.
‘Not against law to poke fun at our leaders,’ Kunal Kamra
Kamra strongly denounced the demolition of Mumbai’s Habitat Comedy Club, where his recent performance sparked protests from Shinde’s supporters.
In a post on X, Kamra said that the entertainment venue is “merely a platform” and that the studio was not responsible for his comedy.
“An entertainment venue is merely a platform. A space for all sorts of shows. Habitat (or any other venue) is not responsible for my comedy, nor does it have any power or control over what I say or do. Neither does any political party. Attacking a venue for a comedian’s words is as senseless as overturning a lorry carrying tomatoes, because you didn’t like the butter chicken you were served,” Kamra said.
My Statement – pic.twitter.com/QZ6NchIcsM
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) March 24, 2025
He then said that the right to freedom of speech was “not only to be used to fawn over the powerful and rich, even though today’s media would have us believe otherwise”.
“Your inability to take a joke at the expense of a powerful public figure does not change the nature of my right. As far as I know, it is not against the law to poke fun at our leaders and the circus that is our political system,” the comedian said.
Kamra said that he was ready to cooperate with the police and the courts for any lawful action against him, emphasizing that the law “be fairly and equally deployed” against those who “decided that vandalism is the appropriate response to being offended by a joke.”
(With inputs from agencies)