Comedian Daniel Fernandes show in Hyderabad cancelled after Raja Singh's threat

Hyderabad: After Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA 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 backlash in the city.

The cancelled show was scheduled for June 29, Saturday and it was a part of his comedy special tour "Do you know who I am?"

The video, which went viral, sparked backlash for its jokes involving religious sentiments, particularly concerning the Jain and Muslim communities. Fernandes had joked about Jains being involved in the meat business, 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 stated, “On Bakri Eid, a comedian named Daniel Fernandes cracked bad jokes and mocked the Jain community. I want to tell him to cancel his Banjara Hill show or else our workers will come there and thrash you. You will think 50 times before coming to Telangana.”

He further 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 zimmedaari police ki hogi. (History will remember what we will do to him. 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 for it)”

No malice in my writing, Daniel Fernandes apologises

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 all the controversy surrounding my last video to rest. As comedians, we are aware that once in a while something we say may not be received well. It’s the nature of the business. It’s impossible to make everyone laugh. One of my preferred genres of comedy is topical humour. If there’s a headline that I find interesting, I'll have a go at trying to put together a bit around it, and then I move on to the next headline. There is no malice involved in my writing process,” Fernandes explained.

Fernandes also addressed the threats and abuse he received, stating, “When this video was initially posted, I got a lot of abusive and threatening messages (they’re still pouring in) directed at not just me, but also people I work with. I found that this was at odds with the peaceful nature of the Jain community that we have come to know. Anger and abuse are not a fertile ground for introspection.”

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