Sometimes, proverbs say it all. The same applies to ‘ati zhale ani hasu ale‘ after the bizarre drama following Kunal Kamra’s show in Mumbai that has rocked Maharashtra. The Marathi saying means, ‘When it becomes too excessive, even adversity ticks your sense of humour.’ We have reached that stage.
Maharashtra is witnessing a tragicomedy where chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the state’s home minister, is targeting Kamra while maintaining conspicuous silence on the vandalism by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde’s supporters.
In that sense, Kamra’s comic poem “Thane ki rickshaw” was not at all excessive, but the reaction to it is. It is a new normal in new India.
But it also speaks of the changing times in Mumbai and Maharashtra. People have become so sensitive that they can’t take a joke in a city that once boasted of its progressive culture.
The vandalism, threats and the demolition of the venue of Kamra’s show are the trademark style of the Shiv Sena from the Bal Thackeray days.
In this respect, Shinde’s Sena is the real Shiv Sena as “rada” – a notorious Marathi word made famous by Thackeray’s party. “Rada” means making trouble by thrashing or resorting to any other violent means to teach a lesson to the detractor. If the leader feels that he has been wronged by somebody, ‘direct action’ has to be taken, and ‘rada’ is the response.
Shinde projects himself as the real loyalist of the Sena founder, and therefore, it is not unnatural for him to follow his leader.
Comedy has become too serious and dangerous a business in contemporary India. One can’t say how easily someone could get hurt by a snarky one liner or a jibe to expose the system. Politicians will make noise about free speech but would be the first to object if they are in the line of fire. No jokes are funny for them. No question of enjoying satire.
Maharashtra, once regarded as one of the best administered states in the country, is witnessing a soap opera of sorts to divert the attention of people from the real issues. In the era of ‘Band Aid’, everything is cosmetic and superficial. So to keep people engaged, you need the issue of Aurangzeb’s tomb one day, and the Disha Saliyan case on another. Kamra became a part of this list.
Also read: Defiant Kunal Kamra Won’t Apologise as Shinde Calls Vandalism ‘Action-Reaction’
Since Kamra had once interviewed Sanjay Raut, it is being exaggerated as a case of political conspiracy. Instant justice, Bollywood style. What Kamra has said in his satirical poem without taking Shinde’s name has often been said by Uddhav Thackeray and his party men about the deputy chief minister. Observers feel that by failing to ignore the ‘gaddar‘ jibe of Kamra, who does not belong to any party, Shinde and his men have indirectly admitted to the charge.
Most of the media has played along. There are virtually no watchdogs. Everyone is playing ‘Arnab Goswami-lite’, who incidentally was Kamra’s target a few years ago when the stand-up comedian found himself in the same flight as him.
Only last week, the media, which speculated on the circumstances of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death a few years ago to target BJP’s detractors, especially Uddhav Thackeray and his undivided party, was exposed. The Central Bureau of Investigation submitted its final closure report in the case, concluding that the actor died by suicide. The report said that no foul play or criminal conspiracy was involved in his death. But the damage by the media, which served conspiracy theories day in and day out, has already been done.
Politicians are using the media, hoping that the gullible people will lap it up. All is fair in love, war, and politics, especially when there is nothing tangible to show on the ground.
Then there is the aspect of elections. Municipal elections in Maharashtra are bound to be held by the year-end and therefore the ‘sensitivity’ of the leaders in the state is heightened.
BJP’s allies are under pressure to perform well so that they are not taken for granted or marginalised by the BJP. The saffron party’s use-and-throw tactics are well known and everybody in the ruling space is on their toes.
The opposition, be it Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party, or the Congress, face further marginalisation if they fail to put up a good show in the civic polls. Mumbai has remained central to the politics of Shiv Sena.
The problem is that the tragicomedy in Maharashtra is more like an unending soap opera than a serious play that ends on a good note. Those in power want to make the most of today, unsure of what is in store for tomorrow. To keep the show going, one should keep people glued. One such issue a day helps the government of the day.
Burning issues facing the state – the agrarian crisis, delay in procurement of farm produce, growing unemployment, and deteriorating law and order – have taken a backseat.
Fadnavis has been following the Uttar Pradesh model of Yogi Adityanath. The municipal authorities in Nagpur bulldozed the home of Fahim Khan, one of the accused in the violence there last week in the wake of the Aurangzeb row. At such a time, a political observer wonders whether what has happened in Maharashtra was “Kamra cornered? Or Cornered by Kamra?”
Sunil Gatade and Venkatesh Kesari are New Delhi-based journalists.
