Samay Raina's Bihari vs Kashmiri row: What exactly did the comic say?

Comedians Samay Raina and Sharon Verma’s banter on the latest episode of India’s Got Latent Season 2 has sparked controversy online. The exchange, which began with jokes about their respective Bihar and Kashmiri backgrounds, drew criticism after clips from the episode surfaced on social media.The controversy erupted after Raina introduced Verma with a joke about her Bihar roots. He said, “She is from Bihar. She is so Bihari; she thinks ‘Ebola’ means someone said something.”Verma responded by turning the joke towards Raina’s Kashmiri identity, saying, “Samay is so Kashmiri; he loves getting stoned.” Her remark appeared to draw a reference to stone-pelting associated with periods of unrest in Kashmir.The exchange continued as Raina brought up migration from Bihar to Mumbai in search of employment. He told Verma, “Sharon Verma is a Bihari who came to Mumbai in search of a job. Just Bihari things.” Verma then delivered a pointed comeback, saying, “At least, I left my state by my choice.” The remark appeared to reference the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley during the genocide in the early 1990s.As clips of the exchange circulated online, a section of social media users criticised the comedians, arguing that the jokes crossed the line from banter into insensitive commentary on regional identities, migration and the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits. The episode has since triggered a wider Bihar-Kashmir debate online, with viewers divided over whether the exchange should be seen as a roast between two comedians or as an insensitive take on serious historical and social issues.What did BJP leader Ram Kadam say?Speaking about the controversy, Kadam criticised Raina, accusing him of allegedly hurting people’s sentiments in an attempt to “gain publicity”. In a recent press interview, Kadam said that some people deliberately make controversial remarks solely to attract attention and become famous.“There are certain forces in society that deliberately make controversial statements simply to gain publicity. Their sole objective is to become famous,” he said.“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.The episode featured Orry, Archana Puran Singh, Nishant Suri, Sharon Verma and Samay Raina as the panelists.Meanwhile, Kadam was not the only politician to react to the controversial remarks. Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Nirupam, Sena UBT’s Anand Dubey and Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari were also among those who spoke out as the controversy grew.- EndsPublished By: Prachi aryaPublished On: Aug 29, 2026 20:53 IST