Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], October 26 (ANI): Punjabi singer Maninder Buttar has finally broken his silence on the Daler Mehndi Uttarakhand show controversy, which also brought his name into the spotlight.
Earlier this month, singer Daler Mehndi visited Uttarakhand to perform at the Siddhpeeth Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair in New Tehri. However, his performance soon became controversial after BJP minister Subodh Uniyal interrupted him on stage and questioned his singing and accused the 'Tunak Tunak' hitmaker of being drunk.
While confronting Daler Mehndi over his performance, the minister also brought Maninder Buttar into the conversation, making a startling claim about the Punjabi singer’s previous visit to the region.
The minister was reportedly heard telling Daler Mehndi in Hindi, "Yahaan aapse pehle Maninder Buttar pit ke gaya tha... aur itna pita tha ki uska baap bhi dobara nahi aa sakta yahaan pe.”
On Monday, Maninder went live on Instagram, expressing disappointment over the alleged demeaning remarks made by Uniyal towards him.
"It was back in 2019, almost seven years ago, when I travelled to Uttarakhand for a show and performed for more than an hour. The Hon’ble Minister even came on stage and honoured me by placing a traditional Pahadi cap on my head. I performed the entire show wearing that cap.I want the truth to come out. I respectfully request the Hon’ble Minister to upload the complete recording of that show so that everyone can see what actually happened and judge for themselves if I did anything wrong," Maninder said.
"I am a very simple person. I have never intentionally hurt anyone’s feelings, never indulged in any kind of misconduct, and have always tried to maintain my dignity and respect for others.I was genuinely shocked when I came to know that such things had been said about me and my father," he added.
"I am a small artist, and I have always tried to keep my family away from controversies like these. I have never performed under the influence of alcohol or any intoxicating substance, and I have always taken my work and my responsibilities seriously. All I ask is for the complete, unedited recording of that show to be made public. Let people watch it, understand what really happened, and decide for themselves who is right and who is wrong," he emphasised.
After learning about the controversy, Mika Singh revealed that Daler Mehndi had been unwell for the past two years and was still recovering.
He also clarified that Daler does not consume alcohol, defending him against the allegations reportedly made during the event.
"I know my brother Daler Mehndi, and he does not drink alcohol. He has been unwell for the past two years and is still recovering, yet he continues to perform with his band. These days, many performers use backing tracks, but nobody questions them in the same way," he added.
Mika said Daler had also called him and asked him to drop the issue. However, he maintained that Uniyal should apologise for allegedly labelling his brother an alcoholic, saying the remarks could harm the singer’s reputation.
“... I still have a request: Subodh Ji, it would be the right thing to do if you could call Daler Ji and apologise. Because you have significantly tarnished his reputation by labelling him an alcoholic, and across the world, many people might actually assume he is one. So, I still hope for that,” he said.
Mika Singh also revealed that Daler Mehndi broke down crying when he spoke to him the day after the controversy surrounding the singer’s performance at an event. (ANI)
