The 576th episode of the comedy serial, which was all set to be broadcast on Thursday evening, was censored after Nepal Television officials found some “objectionable things” in the programme that basically focused on how Modi brings development in the country and how political leadership in Nepal is hell-bent on making money from such projects.

Producer Dipak Raj Giri said NTV officials accused him of producing some materials that were targeted to Modi and creating illusions about the leader.

“It is against the freedom of expression and our constitutional rights. Even Modi has been watching such several programmes in India that satirise him. American Presidents do watch parodies and programmes that satirise them. Let’s honour Modi, not be sycophantic about him,” Giri said.

Giri is an acclaimed comedian who had lost his job from another state owned Radio Nepal some years ago for cracking jokes about parliamentarians. “Nepal is a democratic country and we have rights enjoy and satire on any one,” he stated on his Facebook page on Friday.

“We are comedians and permanent opposition in democracy. We also have to aware people from various walk of lives,” Giri said, adding, “I have done nothing that may damage our relations with India, nor was my program against any social fabric in Nepal or Hindi speaking people.”

Nepal Television, however, has not made any reaction on the matter. The Television officials reportedly told him that his programme tried to dishonor to the Indian leader and also objected to the use of Hindi language in some parts of the episode.

The banned episode shows a Modi-like character in a remote and underdeveloped village. He comes as a boon to the village as he announces huge assistance for development programmes. Local people and politicians come together to develop their village but continue making commission out of the development budget.

In reality, just six months is in power, Modi has successfully injected investment worth US $ 3 billion in Nepal.

The episode also depicts the development narrative of Nepal. “I have tried to justify how corruption has mired our development endeavours. In fact, it is not a satire on the Indian PM,” Giri clarified.