Three scheduled shows by comedian Pulkit Mani in Uttar Pradesh have been cancelled after he appeared to parody Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an event attended by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.
Mani said in a social media post that his performance in Noida was cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances”. A few hours later, he said shows planned in Kanpur and Lucknow had also been cancelled, citing what he described as “repeated threats from goon activists”. It was not immediately clear whether Mani had cancelled the performances himself or whether the venues had called them off.
Mani performed at a student-focused event attended by Gandhi in Indore on Saturday. During the act, he appeared to imitate Modi’s manner of interacting with foreign leaders and his repeated use of the phrase “my friend”.
Although Mani did not mention Modi by name during the performance, Gandhi referred to the prime minister while embracing the comedian, asking, “How are you, Modi ji?”
Clips of the performance circulated widely on social media, prompting criticism from several BJP leaders, who questioned Gandhi’s decision to share the stage with Mani.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal described the performance as “cheap” political theatre.
“The irony writes itself,” Goyal said in a social media post, criticising what he described as repeated attempts to bring Modi’s name into political performances.
The episode comes months after Instagram restricted access to a parody video by Mani that mocked Modi’s interactions with foreign leaders. The comedian said the video was blocked following a legal request from the government, according to the platform.
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