Daler Mehndi’s son, Gurdeep Mehndi, has finally reacted to the controversy that followed Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal’s on-stage scolding of the singer. In a video shared on Instagram, Gurdeep called the incident “very unfortunate” and thanked everyone who has stood by the family, including his uncle, Mika Singh.
What Daler Mehndi’s son said
Gurdeep Mehndi addressed the camera directly and said this was his stance on the matter after the events of the last few days. He revealed that he was out of India when the incident took place. When he later asked his father how he was doing, Daler Mehndi replied that he was “first class” and that he was fine.Gurdeep Mehndi added, “I put that bit in one show, and now it has become another talking point. Obviously we are stressed, and we as a family together are dealing with it. Thank you to everyone for the support, to the film industry, including my chacha ji, Mika Singh.”He ended his message with a request to fans. “Continue to shower your love on us in this manner. Please support us. Like Papa says, God takes care of the rest,” he said.
Mika Singh’s earlier post
Last Wednesday, Mika also posted on Instagram to thank the Punjabi and Bollywood celebrities who had backed Daler. “Sat Sri Akal, everyone! Thank you so much to all the singers from Bollywood to Punjab, fans, friends, family, and well-wishers for your love and support. My point is simple: Daler Mehndi ji does not drink alcohol, and making such allegations against him is completely wrong,” he wrote.
What happened at the event
Daler Mehndi performed on Sunday night at the Siddhpeeth Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair in New Tehri, Uttarakhand. Midway through his act, he was stopped and reprimanded on stage by Subodh Uniyal, who questioned his conduct and hinted that the singer was intoxicated. “You cannot even speak, so how are you going to sing?” the minister said. The clip soon went viral on social media.Later, while speaking to ANI, Subodh Uniyal defended his action. “He is a big artist. If a big artist doesn’t do justice to their art… He seemed disoriented on stage and didn’t seem to be able to even keep standing. Besides this, he was only lip-syncing to his songs. I told him that he is a big artist and he should do justice to his art; he had been offered ₹35 lakh to come and perform, but he was not even singing. So, I expressed my resentment,” he said.According to Mika Singh, Daler Mehndi was scared and confused by the minister’s behaviour. He added that both brothers later got a call from Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who assured them they would always be welcome in the state. Mika said the Chief Minister apologised on behalf of the minister.
