After popular Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi came on the stage, BJP leader and State Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal got into a heated argument with Daler on the floor of the Kunjapuri Mela, when he asked him if he was intoxicated at Uttarakhand. The incident took place in the context of a cultural programme which was organized as a part of a cultural event of Navaratri in Narendra Nagar in Uttarkashi district of Tehri Garhwal. The video of these heated moments has become viral on social media platforms on 19th October 2026, bringing the singer’s act and the minister’s public criticism of the singer’s music to the spotlight.
According to the media, Uniyal was walking on the stage after getting displeased with the show. He feels that the song hasn’t been played live, nor recorded and feels it was a “poor” delivery. The minister is heard saying bol tho jaa nahi raha, haana kya gaoge? In the popular video. How will you sing , as you can’t even speak correctly. The singer was also reminded that it was a religious and cultural function and thus while performing at the Goddess Durga during the festival of Navaratri. This is from the Indian Express.
The performance also was reported as a paid performance, sparking a question about the price. The singer has been offered a fee of ₹35 lakh to entertain the audience, Uniyal told the court and there was no reason why the singer should not do so, it is reported he said to the judge. Also reported was that the singer was lip-syncing to prerecorded music. It rekindled the controversy, there was more discussion about it in the media, and among viewers. The context in which the performance takes place and how the minister is paid should be considered within the framework of the statements made by the minister and the reports in the media.
No independent evidence, reported to confirm Mehndi’s claims to be under the influence of alcohol. In public, Uniyal had killed the singer for being drunk but that’s not to say that it is. Uttarakhand folk singer and Padma Shri Pritam Bhartwan also addressed the controversy, saying that he could not confirm whether Mehndi actually had an alcoholic drink to his lips or not, but claims that a live show should be ‘true singing’. As of October 19, 2026, the representatives of Mehndi do not have any independently verified explanation as to what Mehndi did.
The incident has given rise to a new question regarding the obligations of artists when they go to attend a public gathering and what should be expected from them at a paid concert and the significance of the cultural value of religious gatherings. Daler Mehndi is one of the veteran artists in Indian Music and he has gained popularity among the Punjabi audience with his popular hits such as “Tunak Tunak Tun”, “Bolo Ta Ra Ra”. The viral head bashing incident at the Kunjapuri Mela is now well known, but it is not clear why the minister even became a part of the incident. It’s important to make it clear, for now, that there’s a difference between the things that have been written in the video, and the claims that haven’t been backed up by evidence against the singer.
