Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Pravin Darekar on Wednesday moved a breach of privilege notice against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) spokesperson Sushma Andhare over a video on the comedian’s YouTube channel in which he joked about deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde being a “traitor”, PTI reported.

On Sunday, Kamra posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he ostensibly criticised Shinde while performing a satirical version of a song from a Bollywood film. Kamra alluded to Shinde as a “traitor” while referring to Shinde’s 2022 rebellion against Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray and the ensuing political crisis in Maharashtra. Kamra did not mention Shinde by name.

After clips of the performance were widely shared on social media, workers of the Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena on Sunday night vandalised The Habitat Studio in Mumbai’s Khar, where it was recorded.

“Kunal Kamra performed a song containing personal and insulting references to deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde,” Darekar, the leader of the legislative council, said while presenting the motion. “Andhare supported the performance and used objectionable language, which amounts to contempt of the House.”

Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLA Ramesh Bornare submitted another notice against Andhare in the Assembly for allegedly mocking Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said the people’s mandate had determined who was a “gaddar” or traitor and “khuddar” or self-respecting person, India Today reported.

“It has been decided by the people that who is a gaddar and who is a khuddar and one cannot tell one’s lineage by looking in the mirror,” he said in an apparent reference to the row over Kamra’s joke.

When asked about the attack by his party workers on The Habitat, the deputy chief minister on Monday had said that he does not support vandalism but claimed that the joke about him was “supari”, or a hit job, to make allegations against someone.

The state government has also sought an apology from Kamra for his joke.

Kamra said on Monday night that he did not “fear this mob” and would not apologise for the joke.

On Tuesday, the Mumbai Police said that it had summoned Kamra for questioning in connection with a case filed against him over the joke.

Kamra on Wednesday asked music company T-Series to “stop being a stooge” after his stand-up video was briefly blocked over a copyright infringement claim related to the song parody.

“Hello T-Series, stop being a stooge,” the comedian said in a tweet. “Parody and Satire comes under fair use legally. I haven’t used the lyrics or the original instrumental of the song. If you take this video down every cover song/dance video can be taken down. Creators please take a note of it.”

‘Right to political satire on ventilator,’ says rights group

Human rights organisation People’s Union for Civil Liberties on Wednesday condemned the outrage against Kamra and the vandalism at The Habitat.

“In a constitutional democracy, the joke is really on ‘we the people of India’, that a humourless mob is empowered by the complicity of the State, to initiate vigilante action against those exercising their right to constitutionally protected speech which the mob, arbitrarily deems offensive,” the group said in a statement.

“Vigilante action leaves behind a smell of fear which chokes the constitutional right to expression,” PUCL added. “The right to political satire is today on a ventilator, because the political satirist now knows that the price she has to pay for making fun of the powerful is to confront a lawless mob, face the risk of demolition of the property where she performs as well as be prepared for prosecution by the state!”