Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami's 'Friends' Defence After Daler Mehndi Event Row

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. 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.

"He was unable to walk. The whole world has seen it in the video. I felt he was under the influence of an intoxicant. 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. "The first thing is, he is such a big artist. 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. 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."

In his statement, Uniyal said Mehndi had been invited because he is "a very big name and a great singer". "After inviting him, when it seemed on stage that he was only lip-syncing and not singing... since I am the local public representative and also the patron of the fair committee, there was pressure from people to question him about it," he said.

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 should maintain the gravity of your name. You have been invited...'" he said, as per news agency PTI.

Uniyal said he later learnt Mehndi was unable to talk because he was unwell.

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. "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. "We called you so that our people could be entertained. You are making a fool of us." Mehndi responded: "Sir, I request you with folded hands...please leave the stage."

A video of the exchange went viral on Monday. The alcohol allegation has not been independently verified, and Mehndi has not publicly commented.

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. "If there has been any mistake on your part, you should acknowledge your mistake and apologise to Daler Mehndi ji," he wrote. "Hon'ble @pushkardhami CM of Uttarakhand, please look into this matter. We love Uttarakhand and its people, but artists deserve dignity and respect." 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".

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dhami, urging that public representatives should be advised to "exercise greater sensitivity when dealing with artists and performers".