Daler Mehndi row: Mika Singh defends singer after Uttarakhand stage row: 'Daler Mehndi has never touched alcohol'
PTC Web Desk: Singer Mika Singh has come out in defence of his elder brother, Daler Mehndi, after a live performance in Uttarakhand ended in a public dressing-down by a state minister. In a video message, Mika rejected the claim that Daler was drunk on stage and said the veteran singer was unwell and still turned up to honour his commitment.
“Daler Mehndi has never consumed alcohol in his life,” Mika said, adding that if anyone could say they had seen him drinking, he would quit singing altogether. He also revealed that Daler had recently undergone an operation and was not in good health on the night of the show.
What Mika said
Mika said he watched the news coverage of Daler Mehndi on October 19 and was upset by what he called a rumour. Daler, he pointed out, has been a superstar for 30 years and he challenged people to name a single occasion, whether a birthday party or any other event, when he was seen with a drink in his hand.
He also spoke about the pressures performers face. Artists, he said, often have to go on stage even when they are seriously unwell, sometimes with a 104-degree fever, because they have made a commitment. Daler agreed to the show for the same reason, even though he was not feeling well.
Mika did not dispute the minister’s criticism of the performance itself. He said people were free to say that Daler could not stand properly or could not sing, but alleging that he was drunk was completely wrong. He ended the video with an open challenge to the media, friends and colleagues in Bollywood: if even one person could say they had seen Daler drinking, he would give up singing.
How the controversy began
The row dates back to October 18 at the Kunjapuri Fair in Narendranagar, in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district. The fair is a religious and cultural event held during Navratri, running this year from October 11 to 19.
According to reports, Daler Mehndi arrived on stage and had his songs played through the sound system rather than singing live into the microphone. This angered Uttarakhand cabinet minister and local MLA Subodh Uniyal, who was attending as the chief guest. He climbed onto the stage and confronted the singer in front of the crowd.
Uniyal reportedly told him that he could barely speak, so he could not be expected to sing. He accused the singer of fooling the audience, saying he was “drunk” and producing sound from a mixer. The audience was also heard hooting during the exchange. Daler responded that the criticism was not appropriate, thanked the minister for the respect he had shown him and said he was grateful. The minister then left the stage and Daler continued his performance.
A video of the incident quickly went viral on social media, with some users alleging that the singer was intoxicated.
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- PTC NEWS
