A clip from Indian comedian Daniel Fernandez's stand-up comedy special, which focuses on the second wave of Covid-19 in India, has recently gone viral on social media.
In the video, Fernandez joked about how he was receiving desperate messages from people seeking assistance in securing hospital beds and oxygen cylinders. He then quipped that he only helped those who did not vote for "chai," a reference to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his political party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“If you were on social media, Instagram, for instance, it was very scary. Instagram looked like a hospital ward. Do you remember that? Every Instagram story was a cry for help. "I need an oxygen cylinder!”, “I need an ICU bed”, “I need a ventilator”, And I’m like, “but you voted for chai!” [audience applauded] “Drink it!,” Fernandez said in his latest comedy special
Fernandez's comedic take on the Covid-19 crisis in India has garnered widespread attention, controversy and debate among the netizens.
Critics have accused Fernandez of politicizing the Covid-19 crisis, arguing that access to healthcare and medical supplies should not be dependent on one's political views.
Vivek Agnihotri, the director of the film The Kashmir Files, has joined several other social media users in criticizing Indian comedian Daniel Fernandes for making what they perceive as insensitive jokes about the pandemic. Agnihotri and others have taken issue with Fernandes' comedic routine, which includes references to the current Covid-19 crisis in India and its impact on the country's healthcare system.
"Just an example of how sold media and agents of pharma lobbies tried to brainwash people and discredit India’s great achievement of making Bharat ki apni vaccine," Agnihotri said on Twitter.
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India was hit hard by the second wave of Covid-19, with a surge in cases overwhelming the country's healthcare system and leading to a shortage of critical medical supplies. According to data compiled by Google from various government and private sources, India had over 4.47 crore total cases of Covid-19 and over 5.3 lakh people died from it.