Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday said he would speak to singer Daler Mehndi and his brother Mika Singh over the controversy surrounding Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal’s public confrontation with Mehndi during a performance at a tourism fair in Tehri district. Dhami also urged all sides to “put the matter to rest”.“Uttarakhand is a land that has always respected artistes, litterateurs and scholars. Perhaps there was some pressure from the public at that time. But now this matter should be put to rest,” he said.Defending Uniyal, Dhami said the minister had clarified that he did not intend to insult the singer and was unaware of his health condition. “When the minister himself has stated that he had no such intention, I think everyone should consider the matter closed here,” he said.Asked about Mika Singh’s demand for action against Uniyal, Dhami said he would speak to both brothers.“I will speak to Mika bhai. I will speak to Daler Mehndi ji as well. I am friends with both of them,” he said.The chief minister’s remarks came a day after Mika Singh demanded an apology from Uniyal over the minister’s allegation that his older brother had been performing under the influence of alcohol and the minister’s subsequent reprimand of the singer in front of an audience. Mika also urged Dhami to look into the minister’s conduct and take appropriate action.In a post on X on Wednesday, Mika said Daler Mehndi did not consume alcohol and termed the allegation against him “completely wrong”. He questioned the minister’s decision to reprimand an established artiste publicly and said an apology was due.Story continues below this ad“Artists have always loved Uttarakhand, but if artists are disrespected by politicians, why would we come to perform there?” Mika wrote, appealing to Dhami to intervene.The controversy erupted on Sunday evening during the annual Siddhpeeth Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair in New Tehri, where Daler Mehndi was performing as part of the cultural programme organised during Navratri.A video of the incident, which subsequently went viral on social media, showed Uniyal walking onto the stage and questioning the singer’s ability to perform. The minister alleged that Mehndi was drunk and questioned whether he was singing live or lip-syncing to a pre-recorded soundtrack.“There is a Durga Mata programme for Navratri, and you are singing at the event after drinking alcohol, which is not appropriate,” Uniyal said during the confrontation.Story continues below this ad“We called you so that our people could be entertained. You are making a fool of us. This is wrong. It’s wrong. You were called because you have a big name. You can’t even speak; how will you sing?” he added.Speaking to The Indian Express on Monday, Uniyal alleged that the singer had arrived intoxicated and was unable to perform as expected. He said Rs 35 lakh had been paid to Mehndi and his team for the performance, and that the organisers had also covered the singer’s travel and accommodation expenses.On Tuesday, Mika defended his brother, saying he had recently undergone major surgery and may have been unwell during the performance. He disputed the allegation that Daler Mehndi had consumed alcohol and said he would quit singing if anyone could establish that his brother had been drinking.Several artistes, including singer Harshdeep Kaur, rapper Badshah and actor-comedian Kapil Sharma, also expressed support for Mehndi, criticising the manner in which he had been treated on stage.