Comedian Daniel Fernandes’ show in Hyderabad cancelled after Raja Singh threat

Hyderabad: BJP MP T Raja Singh has criticised comedian Daniel Fernandes for his now-deleted video titled ‘Jains Buy Goats’. The joke led to the cancellation of the show in Hyderabad following negative reaction from the city.

The canceled show was scheduled for Saturday, June 29, and was part of his special “Do You Know Who I Am?” comedy tour. »

The video, which went viral, attracted backlash due to its jokes involving religious sentiments, particularly regarding the Jain and Muslim communities. Fernandes had joked about Jains’ involvement in the meat trade, leading to accusations of creating discord between the two communities.

Raja’s response

In a video that surfaced on social media, T Raja issued a stern warning to Fernandes, demanding the cancellation of his upcoming show in Hyderabad.

Raja said, “On Bakri Eid, a comedian named Daniel Fernandes cracked bad jokes and made fun of the Jain community. I want to tell him to cancel his show at Banjara Hill, otherwise our workers will come there and beat you up. You will think 50 times before coming to Telangana.”

He added, “I will also request the police commissioner to cancel his show. Iska jo haal hum karenge, ithihaas yaad rakhega. Jaise Munawar Faruqui toh yaad hai na… kya hua tha Telangana mein… Vaisa mahool na bane iss liye Daniel ka show cancel kare. Agar vatavaran kharab hua to the police of zimmedaari ki hogi. (History will remember what we do to it. Remember Munawar Faruqui and what happened to him in Telangana? To prevent the same from happening, cancel Daniel’s show here. If things go wrong, the police will be responsible)”

No malice in my writing, Daniel Fernandes apologizes

Following the backlash, Daniel Fernandes issued a public apology on his official Instagram account, addressing the controversy. In his statement, Fernandes expressed regret for hurting religious sentiments and clarified his approach to comedy.

“I would like to put an end to all the controversy surrounding my latest video. As comedians, we are aware that every now and then, something we say may not be well received. That’s the nature of the business. It’s impossible to make everyone laugh. One of my favourite genres of comedy is topical humour. If there is a track that I find interesting, I will try to piece it together a bit and then move on to the next track. There is no malice in my writing process,” Fernandes explained.

Fernandes also opened up about the threats and abuse he received, saying: “When this video was originally posted, I received a lot of abusive and threatening messages (they’re still pouring in) directed not only at me, but also at the people I work with. I found this to be at odds with the peaceful nature of the Jain community we know. Anger and abuse are not fertile ground for introspection.

He concluded by sharing his conversations with Jain friends and community members, acknowledging their perspectives. “However, offline, I had time to talk to my Jain friends and other community members who calmly explained to me why some of the things I said may have hurt people and I I saw the value of their insight. Comedy should bring people together, not tear them apart.