New Delhi: At a hearing before the Maharashtra legislative council’s privileges committee over a parody song referencing Eknath Shinde’s 2022 rebellion, stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on Thursday (April 10) refused to apologise for apparently referring to the deputy chief minister as a “traitor”. This was the third time Kamra appeared at Vidhan Bhavan over the issue. Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Pravin Darekar had initiated proceedings against Kamra after a video from his stand-up show ‘Naya Bharat’ in Mumbai was published online in March 2025.In it, Kamra, who is known for his sharp take on the state of affairs in the country and the government, performed several parody songs, one of which was a remake of the song ‘Bholi Si Surat’ from the 1997 Bollywood film Dil To Pagal Hai, referencing the 2022 political developments in Maharashtra in which Shinde’s rebellion caused the Shiv Sena to split into two parties in 2022. Without naming him, he alluded to Shinde as “gaddar”, or traitor.The lyrics, roughly translated from Hindi, are: “Thane city’s auto rickshaw, beard on his face, glasses on his eyes; now you see him but he disappears in Guwahati, look at him through my eyes and you’ll see a traitor; he’s less of a minister and more of a defector, he drills a hole in the plate he eats from; he’s seen more on the lap of Fadnavis than in the state secretariat.”The Statesman reported that the popularity of the song made Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena leader Sushma Andhare also sing it at an event. This led to Darekar moving a motion of contempt against both Kunal Kamra and Andhare. The privileges committee grilled Kamra about the lyrics of his song, its meaning as well as intentions behind singing it.Hindustan Times reported that the privileges committee had asked Kamra 24 questions regarding the allegedly derogatory remarks, including whether he regretted his actions and wanted to tender his ‘unconditional apology’. The comedian firmly refused to apologise saying it would not be sincere.The panel then asked Kamra to submit his stand on apologising in writing, after which they would take a final decision on the alleged breach of privilege notice filed against him.In a post on X, in response to BJP MLC Prasad Lad telling reporters that Kamra “tried to explain his mistakes, “tried to ask about the rights of the constitution” and “the rights of the privilege committee”, the comedian further clarified that he did not regret his actions and did not apologise at the Vidhan Sabha.Respected sir maybe there was a communication issue but the way I remmeber the last 3 questions of my cross examination this evening –Do you feel remorse – NoAre you sorry about what you said- NoIf you tender an unconditional apology this matter will be looked at differently… https://t.co/mrXP94WcCd— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) April 9, 2026While Kamra’s show had gone viral, it had drawn a violent reaction from Shiv Sena members who had vandalised the comedy club where the video was recorded, leading to the club being temporarily shut down. An FIR was also registered against Kamra.The privileges committee has not announced its final decision yet and is expected to deliberate further after receiving written responses from Kamra’s side.