The residence of Samajwadi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Lal Suman was attacked here Wednesday allegedly by workers of a rightwing group, the MP son’s claimed.

Hitting out at the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena over the ‘gaddar’ (traitor) jibe, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has repeated the allegation that its use by Kunal Kamra in a satirical song about him was part of a ‘supari’ (contract) given to the comedian.

The Shiv Sena chief also alleged that while the Uddhav faction of the Sena and others in the opposition in Maharashtra are talking about the Constitution and freedom of speech now, there have been several instances in the past when they have acted against people who criticised them. Mr Shinde cited the example of the bulldozing of actor-MP Kangana Ranaut’s Mumbai office in 2020 after she spoke out against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government’s handling of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.

Mr Shinde has been called a traitor several times by the Uddhav Thackeray faction after he split the Shiv Sena in 2022 and joined hands with the BJP. The move had led to the Thackeray-led government falling in Maharashtra and being replaced with one headed by Mr Shinde.

Speaking in the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Wednesday, Mr Shinde thundered, “You keep calling me ‘gaddar, gaddar‘, you will soon have to close the ‘daar‘ (door in Marathi) of your party.”

Referring to the verdict given by the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker and the Election Commission – that the faction led by him is the “real” Shiv Sena – and the thumping win achieved by the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) in last year’s Assembly polls in the state, Mr Shinde continued, “The Election Commission, Supreme Court and the Speaker of the House have said who is the ‘gaddar‘. More importantly, the people, who are above everyone, have also given their verdict. No matter how much “supari” (contract) you give, nothing’s going to work.”

In a show shot at the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai’s Khar, Mr Kamra had made some comments on the Eknath Shinde chief – without naming him – through a satirical version of the song ‘Bholi si surat‘ from the 1997 blockbuster ‘Dil To Pagal Hai‘. The satirical song also had a mention of ‘gaddar‘.

‘Where Was Your Constitution?’

After a row erupted, Shiv Sena workers vandalised the Habitat Comedy Club on Sunday and a case was filed against him, Mr Kamra said he would cooperate with the police but would not apologise for his remarks. 

While ending his show, the comedian had also shown a copy of the Constitution to the audience and said, “For all of the people who will not like this show, I have something for you… This is the Constitution of India and this is what allows me to do what I do.”

Members of the Uddhav Sena and other opposition parties have also accused Mr Shinde of going against the Constitution by seeking action against Mr Kamra, prompting the Shiv Sena chief to hit back on Wednesday. 

Mr Shinde brought up instances of a retired Indian Navy personnel being beaten up in 2020 allegedly by Shiv Sena workers for forwarding a cartoon on Uddhav Thackeray and comedian Pranit More being thrashed last month for comments against Veer Pahariya, who is the grandson of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde of the Congress. 

Apart from the demolition of Kangana Ranaut’s office, the deputy chief minister also pointed to the united Shiv Sena’s reaction after popular Radio Jockey Malishka had made a satirical song about potholes in 2017. 

“Where was your constitution when you beat up a retired person from merchant navy? When Pranit More was beaten in Solapur… when you bulldozed Kangana’s office?” Mr Shinde asked.

“Anyone shows the constitution these days, in a diary,” he added, in what was seen as a dig at both Mr Kamra and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. 

The Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab was left red-faced in the Assembly after two MLAs of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) criticised the state government’s work in the health sector, with one of them saying that people in his constituency feel they were “living in Pakistan”.

Devinderjeet Singh Laddi Dhose, who represents Dharamkot constituency in Moga district, had asked a question to state Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh about any plan to upgrade the primary health centre in Dharamkot. Responding to the MLA’s question, Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh said there was no proposal to upgrade the primary health centre to a sub-divisional hospital under the state government’s consideration.

The minister reasoned that the primary health centre in Dharamkot comes under the community health centre in Kot Ise Khan, about 8 km away. “There is also no proposal to open a trauma centre in Dharamkot. Five trauma centres are functioning in Punjab: Jalandhar, Pathankot, Khanna, Ferozepur and Fazilka,” he said.

Chandigarh: On his remarks during the Punjab budget session, AAP MLA Devinderjeet Singh Laddi Dhos says, “The situation is not bad; I had said that we need more doctors and that our hospital should be upgraded. Our leader have always encouraged us to raise our voices strongly…” pic.twitter.com/txTXdW93KG

— IANS (@ians_india) March 26, 2025

Reacting sharply, Mr Dhose said his constituency and Moga district had received “step-motherly” treatment from the state government and no health-related project had been earmarked for the Dharamkot Assembly segment in three years. “Why this discrimination against Moga… whether Moga is part of Punjab. I feel like perhaps we are living in Pakistan,” he said.

Speaking to the media later, Mr Dhose said the situation is “not bad” and that the party leadership has always encouraged them to raise their voices boldly. “The situation is not bad. I had said that we need more doctors and that our hospital should be upgraded. Our leader has always encouraged us to raise our voices boldly. So I have raised my voice. I raise my constituency’s problems in the House and they are addressed,” he told news agency IANS.

Mr Dhose was not the only one to launch friendly fire. Kulwant Singh Bazigar, AAP MLA from Shutrana, questioned the Punjab health minister and claimed that three in his constituency did not have doctors.