Is another trouble mounting for comedian Samay Raina?
After multiple FIRs, Supreme Court hearings and huge backlash on social media platforms over an episode of India’s Got Latent’s first season, the comedian might have been able to stage a comeback with the second season of the show. However, it seems controversies are far from coming to an end, not even after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis felicitated him at a recent event.
In a fresh stir, BJP leader and Maharashtra MLA Ram Kadam targeted Samay after the latest episode of the show went on air. In the episode, Raina appeared to engage in a roast battle with fellow comedian and panellist Sharon Verma, which involved jokes about people from Bihar and Kashmir. Although both comedians appeared to enjoy the exchange, it soon drew major flak.
Speaking on the issue, Kadam slammed Raina for allegedly hurting people’s sentiments to “gain publicity”. In a recent press interview, Kadam said, “There are certain forces in society that deliberately make controversial statements simply to gain publicity. Their sole objective is to become famous.”
“We need to understand that the deities of Sanatan Hinduism and Kashmiri Pandits cannot be treated as subjects of ridicule. Someone cannot deliberately do something offensive and then simply apologise afterwards. In the meantime, they get the publicity they wanted across the country for free,” he further added.
SO, WHAT WERE THE JOKES?
As the controversy spreads, with several political leaders reacting to the exchange, let us take a look at the jokes the two comedians cracked at each other during the roast.
During the episode, Samay, while introducing Sharon to the audience, said, “She’s so Bihari, she thinks Ebola means someone said something.” Sharon replied, “Samay is so Kashmiri, he loves getting stoned.” Samay then said, “You know, Sharon Verma is a Bihari who came to Mumbai in search of a job. Just Bihari things.” Sharon responded, “At least I left my state by my choice.”
Samay Raina casually started a war between Bihari Vs Kashmiri on India’s Got Latent
Samay Raina: “She’s so Bihari, she thinks Ebola means someone said something.”
Sharon Verma: “Samay is so Kashmiri, he loves getting stoned.”
Samay Raina: “You know, Sharon Verma is a— Neha Patel (@Neha_S_Patel) August 28, 2026
The exchange drew attention as both comedians have often incorporated their regional and personal backgrounds into their comedy. Sharon Verma rose to wider prominence following her appearance on India’s Got Latent in 2024, while Samay Raina has frequently spoken about his Kashmiri Pandit heritage and his family’s displacement from Kashmir.
REACTIONS ACROSS POLITICAL, SOCIAL SPECTRUMS
Ram Kadam was not the only one to react to the remarks. Several other leaders, including Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Nirupam, Sena UBT’s Anand Dubey, and Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari, also reacted to the growing furore.
Although Kadam criticised Samay, his NDA coalition partner Sanjay Nirupam took a softer stance. In an interview with ANI, Nirupam said, “Samay Raina’s show is a comedy show, and I believe humour should be taken as humour. The comment related to Bihar was not good, and the girl’s response referring to Kashmir did not feel good either. I felt the atrocities and injustice suffered by Kashmiri Pandits were being mocked, especially as Samay Raina, who is from Kashmir, was clapping at it. But in the end, I forgive both these youngsters. It was humour and should be taken as a joke.”
Despite being part of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, Sena UBT’s Anand Dubey echoed similar sentiments to Kadam. He said, “Samay Raina has just made another controversial statement. His recent exchange with another comedian, Sharon Verma, reveals a profound lack of understanding on their part. These people will stoop to any level just to make money. Samay Raina understands neither Bihar nor Jammu and Kashmir properly.”
Mithilesh Tiwari also condemned the remarks by Samay and Sharon and said, “Any derogatory remark against a citizen of the country is intolerable. Those making such comments are, in essence, talking about dividing the nation. We believe in an undivided India where the king and the commoner are equal, with no discrimination based on caste or creed. This is the BJP’s clear stance.”
JAMMU AND KASHMIR PEACE FORUM CRITICISES SAMAY, SHARON
Not only politicians, but the Jammu and Kashmir Peace Forum also criticised both comedians, saying jokes around Bihar and Kashmiri identity had crossed into a sensitive area involving the history and sufferings of Kashmiri Pandits.
The forum said it supports freedom of comedy but maintained that such freedom must come with responsibility. It stressed that Bihar should not be treated as an insult, Kashmir should not be reduced to a punchline, and the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits should not be turned into entertainment.
Referring to the community’s decades-long experience of displacement, separation from ancestral homes and loss of belonging, the forum said the controversy warranted a mature response. It noted that Raina has himself spoken publicly about his family’s displacement from Kashmir.
The forum said it was not seeking censorship but sensitivity, arguing that while comedians have the right to joke about themselves and their experiences, historical suffering should not become material for ridicule.
– Ends
Published By:
Akash Chatterjee
Published On:
Aug 29, 2026 17:59 IST
