Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, meanwhile, sought to put an end to the row, saying he would speak to Mehndi and his brother Mika Singh, calling them his friends.
Justifying his on-stage behaviour with Daler Mehndi that sparked a viral controversy, Uttarakhand Minister Subodh Uniyal has now said he “felt” the singer was “under the influence of an intoxicant” when he stopped his performance at a fair in New Tehri.
As for what that intoxicant was, I could not have had a medical examination done on such a big artist,” Narendranagar MLA Uniyal told reporters on Thursday. “He was unable to walk. The whole world has seen it in the video. I felt he was under the influence of an intoxicant. “The first thing is, he is such a big artist. I feel this matter should be put to rest here. I will speak with Mika and Daler Mehndi; both are good friends of mine. He added, “I believe the minister must have been under pressure from the public at that time. The minister himself has stated that he was unaware that Daler Mehndi was unwell. You should maintain the gravity of your name.
If his health was not fine, I think he should have declined, saying he could not perform at the Kunjapuri fair,” the minister said. Chief Minister Dhami, however, said at a press conference, “Uttarakhand is a land of artists, where everyone is treated with respect. He said he first called the event’s anchor. “I told the anchor that all of us have come to hear Daler Mehndi ji, not his team, because we have teams of our own too,” Uniyal said, adding that he later said again, “This won’t do. The minister said he went on stage after Mehndi “said something” to him. “I said, ‘Look, you are a very big name. You have been invited…'” he said, as per news agency PTI.
The incident took place on Sunday night during the cultural evening of the Siddhpeeth Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair, organised by the state government at Narendra Nagar in the New Tehri area. Mehndi’s brother Mika Singh on Thursday reiterated his demand for an apology, saying the minister should be grateful to Mehndi for agreeing to perform after another artist, Sunanda Sharma, fell ill. You are making a fool of us. Mehndi responded: “Sir, I request you with folded hands…please leave the stage. “Hon’ble @pushkardhami CM of Uttarakhand, please look into this matter. We love Uttarakhand and its people, but artists deserve dignity and respect.
“We called you so that our people could be entertained.
“There is a Durga Mata programme for Navratri, and you are singing at the event after drinking alcohol, which is not appropriate,” the minister had told the 59-year-old singer on stage. “If there has been any mistake on your part, you should acknowledge your mistake and apologise to Daler Mehndi ji,” he wrote. On Tuesday, Mika Singh had said his brother does not drink and “has been unwell for the past two years and is still recovering”. Actor Manoj Bajpayee said the minister “should have enquired about the reason for his demeanour that night, because he was not well”.
