Remarks against Shinde: Comedian Kamra appears before Maharashtra council's privileges committee
Mumbai (PTI): Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on Tuesday appeared before the Maharashtra legislative council's privileges committee regarding his alleged remarks against Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
However, in the absence of the main complainant, the hearing has been rescheduled to March 10, said the committee's chairperson, Prasad Lad.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare also appeared before the panel.
Kamra and Andhare later informed reporters that their statements were not recorded during the hearing, as BJP leader Pravin Darekar, the main complainant, was absent.
When asked about his reaction to a threat by the Shiv Sena, which had warned him of dire consequences if he visited Mumbai, Kamra said he felt safe.
Lad said, "Kamra told the committee that he was ready to record his statement now. However, it wouldn't be appropriate to record his statement in the absence of the complainant. It was decided that statements from both sides would be recorded on the same day, and after discussing with Darekar, it was decided to keep the hearing on March 10 at 4 PM."
Andhare also referenced the incident last year when the studio where Kamra performed was vandalised, which occurred after his parody song about Shinde.
"We wanted to know what the charges against us are," she added.
Darekar had moved a breach of privilege notice against Kamra and Andhare for "derogatory remarks" against Shiv Sena leader Shinde, whose party is a constituent of the BJP-led Mahayuti.
Kamra, who has often courted controversy for his anti-establishment views, targeted Shinde in a song parody last year, obliquely referring to him as a traitor.
Andhare had supported Kamra.
The comedian, during his performance at the 'Unicontinental Mumbai' hotel in Khar area of Mumbai, had used a modified version of a Hindi song from the movie "Dil To Pagal Hai" to describe the 2022 rebellion of Shinde against Uddhav Thackeray.
A group of Shiv Sena workers reached the hotel and ransacked its office.
Earlier this month, Kamra had dismissed media reports claiming that he had sought an adjournment from the privileges committee as "incorrect".
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Siddaramaiah seeks Centre's urgent intervention over commercial LPG cylinder shortage
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday sought the Centre's urgent intervention to ensure supply of adequate commercial LPG cyclinders to hotels and restaurants in Bengaluru.
He said hotels, restaurants and catering establishments in the city would be forced to suspend operations if supplies are not restored, affecting a large number of students and working professionals who depend on them for regular meals.
In his letter to Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, he also requested him to issue appropriate directions to the oil marketing companies to address the current supply constraints that would help ease the situation.
Referring to the March 9 order issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas prioritising LPG supply for domestic consumers, Siddaramaiah said while the intention behind the order to ensure uninterrupted LPG supply to households across the country is well understood and appreciated, its implementation appears to have led to an unintended shortage of commercial LPG in Bengaluru.
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He cited that several hotels and restaurant associations in the city have reported that they are unable to procure commercial LPG cylinders, and many establishments are expressing concern that they may have to temporarily shut operations if supplies are not restored soon.
Bengaluru has a large ecosystem of small restaurants, mess facilities, and catering units that serve lakhs of people every day.
According to him, as per the discussions held with the oil marketing companies, the state's commercial LPG demand has traditionally been supported by supplies from the three OMCs-IOCL (around 500-550 MT per day), HPCL (around 300 MT per day) and BPCL (around 230 MT per day) and the sudden disruption of this supply is now severely affecting hotels, catering establishments and other commercial users in Bengaluru.
Any disruption to their functioning will have a direct impact on daily life in the city, he said.
"This issue also affects a large number of students and working professionals who live away from their homes and depend on hotels and mess facilities for regular meals. In addition, Choultries (wedding halls), hostels, and event venues that rely on commercial LPG for food preparation are also facing uncertainty, particularly with scheduled social and community events," the chief minister said in the letter.
Given the scale of dependence on commercial LPG in a metropolitan city like Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah sought the union minister's intervention to ensure that adequate commercial LPG supply is made available to hotels, restaurants, choultries, community halls and any other pure commercial establishments.
"Appropriate directions to the oil marketing companies to address the current supply constraints would help ease the situation. A timely resolution will help ensure that businesses continue to operate smoothly while also avoiding inconvenience to thousands of people who rely on these services on a daily basis," he added.
