Comedian Pulkit Mani cancels UP shows after threats following event with Rahul Gandhi

Comedian Pulkit Mani, who goes by the Instagram handle ‘hunnywhoisfunny’, has cancelled his scheduled shows in Noida, Lucknow and Kanpur, citing "unforeseen circumstances and repeated threats from goon activists".

Mani had appeared alongside Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the Congress party’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, where the two took swipes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders through jokes and mimicry.

In an Instagram story, Mani said his Noida show had been cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances” and apologised for the inconvenience.

In another post, he said his Lucknow and Kanpur shows were cancelled “due to repeated threats from goon activists.”

The cancellations came a day after BJP leaders criticised Rahul Gandhi over remarks directed at Modi during the Congress event.

BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan said in a video statement that “no decent, right-thinking person” would have found the comedian’s remarks amusing and criticised Rahul Gandhi for laughing during the performance.

Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi also attacked Rahul Gandhi over the event, accusing the Congress leader and party of having “stooped to an absolute nadir of moral bankruptcy”. Joshi alleged that the event was used to mock and insult Modi’s late mother and said it showed a lack of “basic human empathy and political culture.”