# Daler Mehndi thanks Mika Singh in Diwali post after Uttarakhand row 2026-11-08T11:25:47+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 4 independent outlets Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his performance at the Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair in Uttarakhand. In a Diwali post on Instagram on Sunday, 8 November, the 59-year-old expressed gratitude for the support he received from fans, family and the music industry after Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal publicly alleged that he appeared intoxicated and did not perform live despite being paid Rs 35 lakh. Mehndi specifically thanked his brother Mika Singh, who had earlier defended him by revealing that the singer had recently undergone surgery and had not consumed alcohol. Mehndi wrote, 'My brother Mika stood up for me like a force to reckon with.' He also credited his wife Taran, son Gurdeep and daughters Rabab, Ajit and Prabhjot for their support. The singer invoked the Sikh belief of 'Ik Onkar', saying the experience reinforced his faith in unity and love. No next step has been announced by either side. Update, 8 November 2026: Times of India and India Today now report Daler Mehndi's Diwali statement breaking his silence on the Uttarakhand performance row. Both outlets confirm that Mehndi thanked Mika Singh and his family for support after Minister Subodh Uniyal alleged he performed while intoxicated. Mika had previously said Mehndi underwent surgery and did not drink. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All four sources, Times of India, India Today, Yes Punjab and Hungama Express, present uniform straight coverage of Daler Mehndi's Diwali statement, quoting the same Instagram post and attributing the controversy to Minister Subodh Uniyal's allegations and Mika Singh's defence. None of the outlets frames the singer's response as defensive or evasive, each leads with his gratitude and family support rather than the substance of the minister's complaint. The coverage leaves open whether Uniyal or the fair organisers will respond, with no source naming any official next step. ## Coverage Coverage: 4 sources, 2 neutral - yespunjab.com - hungamaexpress.com - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Leads with Mehndi's statement, no critical framing - indiatoday.in (neutral report) Straight report on statement, attributes allegations to Uniyal This brief was synthesised by AI from the 4 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Daler Mehndi, Mika Singh, Subodh Uniyal, Uttarakhand Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/daler-mehndi-thanks-mika-singh-for-support-amid-subodh-uniyal-row/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/daler-mehndi-thanks-mika-singh-for-support-amid-subodh-uniyal-row/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/