“We Didn’t Promote Atheism with USAID Funds in Nepal,” Nepali Legendary Artists Deny Accusations

Famous Nepali legendary artists Madan Krishna Shrestha (74) and Hari Bansha Acharya (67) have vehemently denied claims that they received funds from USAID to promote atheism in Nepal. The accusations, which surfaced on social media, allege that the artists were involved in producing videos that spread atheism using USAID funds.

In response to the allegations, Madan Krishna Shrestha issued a  video statement expressing his disappointment. He said, “It is painful to hear such baseless accusations. Our work has always been driven by good intentions and aimed at serving society. We have been actively involved in raising awareness about important issues like leprosy, tuberculosis, and vaccinations, and these efforts should be recognized for their positive impact. Our work is open for review, and at no point have we ever engaged in activities that undermine any religion.”

Hari Bansha Acharya also responded to the claims, emphasizing, “We have never opposed any religion, be it Hinduism, Buddhism, or any other faith. We have never encouraged anyone to change their religion. These accusations are entirely false and stem from a satirical video we created in 1995, which is now being misinterpreted and taken out of context.”

He further added, “Currently, both of us are working on two movie projects, and each of their launches included prayers at a temple, clearly demonstrating our respect for religion.”

The duo, widely known as ‘Maha’, is a popular comedic pair in Nepal. Hari Bansha Acharya  had earlier posted a statement on his Facebook page strongly refuting the allegations.

He clarified, “We are well known for producing public awareness television programs through comedy and satire. Over the years, we’ve created shows covering a range of topics, including health (safe motherhood, HIV, diabetes, vaccination, tuberculosis, leprosy, kala-azar), education, conflict management, forest conservation, corruption, clean water, sanitation, constitution-making, proportional representation, and elections. These programs have been supported by various government ministries, municipalities, the electricity authority, and donor organizations.”

He continued, “We’ve worked with USAID and the Government of Nepal to produce social awareness programs like ‘Asal Logne’ (The Good Husband), ‘Aama’ (Mother), ‘Madan Bahadur Haribahadur,’ ‘Gaunki Tara’ (Village Star), and others. These programs, which total 37 hours of content, are available on our YouTube channel. We strongly condemn the false propaganda linking the funding for these programs to any religious agenda.”

The accusations against the artists followed the release of a video by U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, a Republican politician and U.S. military veteran, who claimed that the Biden administration misused grants from the U.S. State Department and USAID. Mast specifically accused the Biden administration of spending $446,700 to promote atheism in Nepal.

In the wake of the video, social media users began accusing Madan Krishna Shrestha and Haribansh Acharya of being involved in promoting atheism with funds from USAID.