Samay Raina in controversy again for his latest episode of India's Got Latent 2.
The episode sparked controversy over remarks on Biharis & Kashmiris.
In one segment, Samay and Sharon started joking about each other's background.
Samay Raina's India's Got Latent Season 2 has yet again sparked controversy with its latest episode. The Bihari-Kashmiri jokes on the show has faced political heat as BJP and Congress leaders have slammed Raina. The episode in question featured Orry, Archana Puran Singh, Nishant Suri, Sharon Verma, and Raina himself.
Bihari vs Kashmiri pandit 'jokes' on Latent 2
In one segment, Samay and Sharon started joking about each other's background. Sharon is from Bihar, while Raina comes from a Kashmiri Pandit background.
It all started with Samay asking Sharon how she had been. The comedian joked that a couple of years ago, she came on the show as a contestant, and now she was judging other contestants.
Raina laughed and said that he loves everything Sharon has been doing since her appearance on Season 1 on India's Got Latent. He said, "Sharon is so Bihari that she thinks 'Ebola' means someone said something." The remark was a joke on pronunciation associated with Biharis.
She then drew parallels on getting high and stone-pelting in Kashmir, as she replied, "Samay is so Kashmiri that he loves getting 'stoned'."
Samay also apparently referred to the migration of people from Bihar to Maharashtra in search of employment. "Sharon Verma is a Bihari who came to Mumbai in search of a job, just Bihari things," he added.
Sharon gave it back saying, "At least I left my state by my choice," which she apparently referred to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits due to insurgency in the Valley in the early 1990s.
Internet reacts to Samay-Sharon's Bihari vs Kashmiri pandit jokes on Latent 2
A section of netizens slammed Samay and Sharon for their remarks.
After the episode premiered, BJP MLA Ram Kadam, in a statement to IANS, 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."
Amid the controversy, the latest episode of India's Got Latent 2 has got 31.9 million views, making it the most-watched among the show's last 10 episodes.
Samay shared a screenshot of the viewership on his Instagram Story with Eminem's The Way I Am playing in the background.
