Freedom of expression cannot be used to mount "personal attacks", Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told news agency ANI in an exclusive interview to be aired Wednesday morning, referring to comedian Kunal Kamra and his 'gaddar' joke about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
"But unfortunately, some people think it is their birthright to use this freedom to tear the country apart and widen the division," the firebrand BJP leader said on the political row around Mr Kamra's remarks.
The comedian - who on Monday told Mumbai Police he did not regret making the joke and would only apologise if ordered to by the courts - has told NDTV he has since received 500 threatening calls.
In a show shot at the Habitat Comedy Club (now demolished by the Mumbai civic body over alleged building violations) in Mumbai's Khar, Mr Kamra played out a satirical version of a popular Bollywood song - 'bholi si surat' - from the 1997 blockbuster 'Dil To Pagal Hai'.
The satire referred to the word 'gaddar', or 'traitor', which was seen as a reference to Mr Shinde splitting the Shiv Sena in 2022 and joining hands with the BJP. This, in turn, led to the Uddhav Thackeray-led government losing power in Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, Yogi Adityanath also unleashed multiple attacks on the Congress - from allegations it "used billionaire George Soros' money" to try and influence the 2024 Lok Sabha election" to calling the party's Karnataka government's four per cent Muslim quota bill an "insult to Babsaheb Ambedkar's Constitution".
"They (the Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc) spread propaganda... they not only spread it, but foreign money was also involved. Soros long ago announced it..." he said, referring to reports the business mogul had vowed to bring down Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
"I am saying that foreign money was involved in the Lok Sabha election throughout the country, in which the Congress and other parties of the INDIA bloc were directly, or indirectly, involved... through that they tried to influence the election. This is equal to treason," he declared.
EP-276 with Yogi Adityanath premieres tomorrow on YouTube at 10 AM IST
— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2025
"People have treated freedom of speech as a birthright to divide the country further." — U.P CM Yogi Adityanath on the Kunal Kamra controversy
"DK Shivakumar is saying exactly what he has inherited from… pic.twitter.com/XHUyYg7sc2
Organisations linked to, or funded, by Soros have frequently been accused by the BJP of acting against India's interests, and the Congress has been accused of promoting reports produced by these organisations, which includes the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.
The allegations exploded in December after the BJP and Congress bosses, JP Nadda and Mallikarjun Kharge, faced off in Parliament over 'links' between the Soros-funded Forum of the Democratic Leaders in Asia Pacific Foundation and Sonia Gandhi, the forum's co-chief.
READ | JP Nadda vs M Kharge Over Soros-Sonia Gandhi Link Claims
This was after the BJP called Rahul Gandhi a "traitor" and said Mr Soros, "some American agencies" (which also funded the OCCRP) and he were trying to destabilise India.
The Congress has, equally firmly, rubbished the BJP's claims and those of any link between the party, senior leaders like Mrs Gandhi and Mr Gandhi, and any "anti-India" narrative.
READ | "Ridiculous, BJP Scared": PGV On Sonia Gandhi-Soros Links
Last week the Enforcement Directorate searched the India office of the Open Soros Foundation, and non-governmental organisations linked to the OSF, over alleged foreign exchange violations.
READ | Probe Agency Raids Soros' Foundation, Linked NGOs, Like Amnesty
Adityanath also slammed the Congress over the four per cent minority quota row in Karnataka.
The state had passed a bill setting aside four per cent of public contracts for Muslims.
The BJP has opposed this, saying religion-based reservations is antithetical to the Constitution.
READ | "Am Sensible, Senior... More Than Mr Nadda": DKS On 4% Quota Row
The Congress dismissed these concerns, saying the reservation is part of a larger quota for minority communities. It also led to a row over Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's remarks.
With input from agencies
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