Comedian Munawar Faruqui announced another show in Hyderabad after a previously cancelled show in January this year due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in Telangana, but the BJP in the state has once again called for stopping the event.
Munawar on Wednesday posted on his Instagram account that he will perform his show ‘Dongri to Nowhere’ in Hyderabad on August 20. The venue is yet to be announced.
Controversial BJP MLA T Raja Singh, known for his anti-Muslim hate speeches has threatened to beat up Munawar and burn down the venue if the show was allowed to take place.
“In the past too, our idiot Minister KTR offered police protection and invited him, saying his event will be a great success. But even then, when Hindu groups across Telangana united to threaten him, they got scared and cancelled the event,” Raja Singh made derogatory remarks on Munawar.
“See what will happen if they invite him (Munawar). Wherever the program is, we will go and beat him up. Whoever offers him a venue, we will burn it down. If something goes wrong, KTR and the government and police are responsible. We will definitely beat him up and send him back if he comes to Telangana, this is a challenge,” he threatened.
Earlier in January, state BJP leaders had made similar threats to not allow Munawar to conduct a show on January 9, alleging that the comedian had made jokes on Hindu gods and hurt Hindu sentiments. However, the show was cancelled citing COVID-19 regulations.
Telangana Minister and TRS working president KTR had made an open invitation to the comedian, after his show in Bengaluru was previously cancelled following similar threats from Hindutva groups. Taking a jibe at the BJP government, KTR said that Hyderabad was a truly cosmopolitan city, where standup comedians get an open invite and their shows weren’t cancelled due to political differences.
(Inputs from The News Minute)
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Rabia Shireen is a Staff Reporter at The Cognate.
