Amid a political controversy over his mimicry of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “Chhatron Ki Goonj” event in Indore, stand-up comedian Pulkit Mani has announced that he was forced to cancelled his shows in Noida, Lucknow and Kanpur over “repeated threats from goon activists”.
During the stage appearance on Saturday (September 19), Mani mimicked Prime Minister Modi’s public interactions and speech patterns. The video clip went viral and received millions of views, and drew criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.
Reacting to Mani cancelling his shows in Uttar Pradesh, political analyst Vivek Srivastava has expressed concern.
‘It was funny’
Speaking on The Federal’s Capital Beat show, Srivastava said he found Mani’s mimicry of Prime Minister Modi entertaining but was concerned about the comedian potentially facing harassment or legal action in the aftermath of the political controversy.
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“Look, with no disrespect to the honourable Prime Minister of India, it was funny… There is a comical side. If the Prime Minister and BJP are taking it seriously, I am worried about Pulkit Mani,” Srivastava said. He added that he hoped the comedian would not be attacked, face “fake FIRs” or become a victim of political retaliation.
The cancellations triggered a wider political debate over the limits of satire and political parody.
Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Piyush Goyal criticised the Congress-led event, with Rijiju describing the party as a “party of comedians and jokers” and Goyal calling the performance cheap political theatre.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also criticised the performance, arguing that references made during the act were disrespectful to Modi’s late mother.
Congress’s defence
Srivastava, however, argued that the performance should be viewed in the context of political satire and internet culture. He said the line “Maa ko kursi do” referenced an actual 2024 public event in Kolkata in which Modi asked organisers to provide a chair to an elderly woman, rather than being a personal reference to his mother.
Congress spokesperson Wing Commander Anuma Acharya (Retd.), who attended the event in Indore, defended the performance as part of democratic political expression. She said satire has historically been a feature of Indian politics and argued that the ability to mock those in power is an important component of democratic discourse.
“A healthy democracy must be able to tolerate such attack,” Acharya said, adding that the larger question was whether there remained sufficient space to “laugh at those in power, question them and hold up a mirror to them.”
Srivastava and Acharya also discussed the vulnerability of independent performers when venues face political or social pressure. Srivastava argued that such pressure can affect an artist’s livelihood even without formal administrative action.
The controversy has consequently widened beyond the original performance, raising questions about political satire, freedom of expression, pressure on venues and the ability of independent artists to continue performing amid heightened political reactions.