Mumbai cops reach Kamra's Mahim 'home'; haven't stayed there for 10 years, says comedian
Mumbai (PTI): Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on Monday failed to appear before Khar police in connection with the case registered for his "traitor" jibe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, while a team went to his Mahim "home" to "check" his availability.
The comedian later took a jibe at the police saying the visit was a waste of time and public resources as he had not been living there for the past 10 years.
Kamra was supposed to appear before Khar police during the day, an official said, adding it was the second time he was summoned.
"A Khar police team went to his house in Mahim, where his family stays, to check whether he would appear in connection with the case or not. Since he did not, further course of action will be decided soon," the official said.
In a post on X, Kamra said, "Going to an address where I haven't lived for the last 10 years is a waste of your time & public resources."
The first notice seeking his appearance was issued last week, and the comedian's request for seven days' time was denied by police.
The Madras High Court on March 28 granted interim anticipatory bail to Kamra on the condition that he execute a bond to the satisfaction of the judicial magistrate at Vanur in Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.
Kamra had submitted he moved to Tamil Nadu from Mumbai in 2021 and has been "ordinarily a resident of this State (Tamil Nadu) since then" and that he feared arrest by Mumbai police.
Last week, three FIRs against him at Nashik Rural, Jalgaon and Nashik (Nandgaon) were transferred to Khar police station, where a case has already been registered on the complaint of Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel.
The studio where Kamra shot his video lampooning Shinde over the split in the Shiv Sena is located in Khar in the western part of the metropolis. Shiv Sainiks had ransacked the studio and the hotel in which it is located on the night of March 23.
Going to an address where I haven’t lived for the last 10 Years is a waste of your time & public resources… pic.twitter.com/GtZ6wbcwZn
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) March 31, 2025
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BJP stages walkout in Karnataka assembly over 'non-disbursal' of Gruha Lakshmi payout
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The opposition BJP on Wednesday staged a walkout from the Karnataka assembly protesting the alleged "non-disbursal" of two months' installments to 1.26 crore beneficiaries under a woman's assistance scheme of the state government.
The protest followed a heated debate in which the opposition accused the state government of providing "misleading" information regarding the payment status of the flagship Gruha Lakshmi scheme.
The saffron party members trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans, leading to the adjournment of the proceedings of the House for over an hour.
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The Gruha Lakshmi guarantee scheme is one of the five pre-poll promises of the ruling Congress. It provides Rs 2,000 monthly to women heads of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
The BJP legislators accused Woman and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar of having "misled" the House by giving false information to BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginkai that all the instalments till August have been paid under the scheme.
The opposition charged that the installments for the months of February and March this year were not paid.
The BJP MLAs' grouse was that they had been demanding an explanation from the Minister for the past three days, but she never turned up to provide information.
As soon as the session started, the opposition members trooped into the well of the House demanding the Minister's presence, which led to the adjournment.
When the members assembled again, the Minister replied that this is a unique flagship programme of the Congress government, which is a model for all the states.
Hebbalkar said she always strived to ensure that this scheme is implemented religiously.
"However, when I checked, I noticed that two months' installments were not paid to the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). If my reply has hurt anyone, then I express my regret," she said.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who came to the defence of Hebbalkar, said the BJP should apologise for the lie in the Union Budget.
"Despite the Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project in the budget, the money was not given to Karnataka. You should question that as well," Shivakumar underlined.
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To this, Leader of Opposition in the assembly R Ashoka said the matter was raised because not only were the BJP members hurt but also the 1.26 crore beneficiaries who were eagerly waiting for the money.
Demanding that the lie be expunged from the House records, he insisted on a date for when the backlog will be paid to the beneficiaries.
The Minister said she was apologising for giving a wrong reply, but she was peeved at the way a woman was targeted in the House.
Objecting to this statement, BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar asked her to refrain from playing victim card and bring up the issue of gender, caste and religious discrimination as it was a matter related to 1.26 crore people.
Ashoka and the BJP MLAs then staged a walkout, saying the Minister's reply was not satisfactory.
