Daler Mehndi's son Gurdeep calls stage row unfortunate, says family is stressed

Gurdeep Mehndi has spoken about the controversy involving his father, singer Daler Mehndi, and Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal. The minister had reprimanded Daler on stage during a cultural evening at the Kunjapuri Devi Mela in Tehri, accusing him of lip-syncing and being intoxicated during his performance.Calling the situation “very unfortunate”, Gurdeep said his family was stressed but was dealing with the matter together. His remarks came after several celebrities supported Daler, while the singer's brother, Mika Singh, defended him and said he never consumed alcohol.In a video shared on Instagram, Gurdeep addressed the camera directly and said it represented his position on the incident that had dominated discussions over the past few days.Gurdeep said he was outside India when the incident took place. He later asked his father how he was doing, to which Daler replied, “First class,” assuring him that he was fine. “I put that bit in one show and now it has become another talking point. Obviously, we are stressed and we, as a family, are dealing with it together. Thank you to everyone for the support, to the film industry, including my uncle, Mika Singh,” Gurdeep said.He added, “Continue to shower your love on us in this manner. Please support us. Like Papa says, God takes care of the rest.”' Minister defends his remarksThe controversy began on Monday during Daler's live performance at the Kunjapuri Devi Mela. Uniyal publicly questioned the singer's conduct and accused him of lip-syncing and being intoxicated on stage.Amid demands for an apology, Uniyal defended his position at a press conference. “Look, we didn't even start it. Tell me, if he hadn't been a big artist, would he have been let off the hook? If he wasn't a big artist, why would there be an offer of 36 lakh? Would his mistakes be corrected?” he said.Responding to claims about Daler's health during the performance, the minister said artists had a responsibility to communicate their physical condition in advance.“He was a big artist, but even now, I believe that — look, a big artist — as I said, if someone's health is bad, there are two things. They could have declined, or they could have told the public from the stage, ‘My health is not okay, my condition is not good.’ Because it is not written on anyone's face that their health is bad. We were not told either,” Uniyal said.When asked whether he would apologise for his statement, Uniyal said, “Look, fine,” before leaving the press event.Mika Singh seeks apologyThe incident drew a swift response from the music industry. Mika strongly defended his brother and demanded an apology from the minister.Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami subsequently spoke to the Mehndi brothers in an effort to defuse the tensions. At a press conference, Mika said Dhami had apologised to him on behalf of Uniyal for the allegation that Daler was drunk on stage.Daler has not personally commented on the controversy or issued a statement.- Ends