Playback singer Sonu Nigam.
| Photo Credit: VIVEK BENDRE

Singer Sonu Nigam has landed himself in a soup after he lost his cool during a recent concert in Bengaluru. The incident took place when the playback singer was performing at East Point College in Virgonagar.

When a boy asked him to sing a Kannada song, Sonu Nigam felt he was “threatened”, and thought the boy’s demand was “rude.” The singer even compared the incident with the recent Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. “I had started singing Kannada songs even before he was born. I didn’t like it (the way he asked),” he said.

“This is why the Pahalgam attack happened. For such kind of an attitude. At least see who is in front of you before making such demands. I love Kannadigas, I love you guys.”

People online outraged against Nigam’s response to the fan, and slammed the singer for comparing the incident with the Pahalgam terror attack, calling it “bizarre.”

ALSO READ:Asha Bhosle’s biography launched, Sonu Nigam washes veteran singer’s feet in emotional moment

Sonu Nigam is one of the most sought after singers in the Kannada film industry after the humungous success of the 2006 film Mungaru Male. He has sung chartbusters in films such as Gaalpata (2008), Milana (2007), Sanju Weds Geetha 2 (2011) and more.

The singer said he has immense respect for the people of Karnataka. “Whenever I am among you all, I love performing. I love coming to Karnataka because the people here treat me like family. Even abroad, I sing at least one Kannada songs for my fans. So you shouldn’t do like this,” he said.

By Puja Mehrotra

After the Modi government’s announcement to conduct a caste census, political parties across the country are claiming it as their victory. On this, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) President Chirag Paswan launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi, Lalu Yadav, and Akhilesh Yadav, saying that they were in power for long but why did they not conduct a caste census then. 

Chirag Paswan has been a key player in Bihar politics and is now vocally saying that his future is in Bihar. In an exclusive conversation with India.com, Chirag Paswan said, “I entered politics with the strategy of ‘Bihar First, Bihari First,’ and I see my future not at the Centre but in Bihar.”

Before the Bihar elections, PM Narendra Modi has fired the caste census bullet — something the BJP had avoided for years, even once labelling it as ‘urban Naxal.’ On this, Chirag candidly says, “This attempt to claim that the BJP was avoiding caste census is just a narrative-setting exercise to make it seem like the BJP didn’t want it.”

“I have myself supported caste-based census many times. I was often told that my views didn’t align with my alliance. BJP thinks differently, and you think differently — I was cornered many times like this. But I want to say that when the caste survey took place in Bihar, all the MLAs and ministers openly supported it. However, at the national level, the full credit for conducting this census goes to Hon’ble Modi Ji,” said Chirag.  He adds that the BJP has been working on this for a long time — to determine when the caste census should be conducted.

On Congress’ Claim Of Caste Census

The last caste-based census was conducted in 1931, and since then, there have been significant demographic changes in the country. The population has increased massively. For this census to be done properly, infrastructure and transparency are essential, which requires thorough preparation. But now, this decision has been taken at the right time.

Paswan said that ever since the announcement to conduct the caste census, there’s been a race to take credit. “Rahul Gandhi says their pressure made the government act. Then I want to ask — your party was in power after independence, why didn’t you conduct the caste census? Forget the party — your family had three Prime Ministers. Also, in most states, your party ruled. So why didn’t you get it done? Forget caste census — you didn’t even conduct a survey. This reflects the thinking of such leaders and parties.”

On Lalu Yadav

He questioned Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav saying, “Your party ruled for 15 years and you were the Chief Minister yourself — so why didn’t you conduct the caste census?”

He said, “These people have jumped into the race to pressure the Modi government on caste census, but the statements by Rahul and Lalu Ji only expose the contradictions within their parties. All these people have used this issue as a political tool and brought it up only during elections, raising questions on reservations and setting false narratives.”

On Lok Sabha elections

Chirag admits that these false narratives created by parties caused damage to their alliance in the Lok Sabha elections. Referring to Uttar Pradesh, he said that due to the Constitution, false narratives, and the caste census issue, they suffered losses there. “But today Akhilesh Yadav is calling the caste census his victory, so I want to ask him — you were the Chief Minister yourself, Prabhu, why didn’t you conduct this census in your state?”

He said that all credit for conducting the caste census goes solely to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Announcement Amid Pak Tension

The announcement by PM Modi came amid anger over the Pahalgam attack and is being seen as part of the Bihar election strategy. On this, Chirag says, “If not today, the announcement was bound to happen eventually. What we must see is how our Prime Minister is making decisions regarding border tensions while also having the ability to deliver welfare schemes to the poor even in adverse conditions.”

While performing at East Point College in Bengaluru, Sonu Nigam was interrupted by a student who “rudely” requested that he sing in Kannada. In response, the singer paused his performance to address the audience, reaffirming his respect for the language and the people of Karnataka. He also linked the student’s reaction to the recent Pahalgam attack, drawing attention to broader issues of sensitivity and unity.

Sonu Nigam shuts down student who rudely asks him to sing in Kannada at Bengaluru concert

In a now-viral video, Sonu Nigam is heard addressing the crowd following the incident. He said, “In my career, I have sung in multiple languages but the best songs that I have ever sung are in the Kannada language. Whenever I come to your city, I come with lots of love. We do a lot of shows in a lot of places, but whenever we have shows in Karnataka we come with a lot of respect for you. You have treated me like your family, but I didn’t like when the boy there, who is not even as old as my career, is rudely threatening me to sing in Kannada.”

The singer drew a parallel between the student’s “irrational” outburst and the recent Pahalgam incident, stating, “This is the reason behind the incident in Pahalgam. Please see who is standing before you. I love you guys.”

Expressing his affection for the state, the singer said, “I do so many shows across the world where thousands of people gather, and every time I hear even a single person shouting ‘Kannada’, I make sure to sing at least one line in Kannada for them. That’s how much I love and respect all of you. So please be kind.”

Sonu Nigam recently performed at Delhi Technological University. He began his career in 1992 with the song ‘Hum To Chhaila Ban Gaye’ from the TV serial Talash and soon made a mark in Bollywood as a playback singer, rising to fame with hits like ‘Sandese Aate Hai’ from Border and ‘Yeh Dil Deewana’ from Pardes. Known for his versatility, Sonu has lent his voice to songs in multiple languages, including Hindi, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Odia, English, Assamese, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, Nepali, Tulu, Maithili, and Manipuri.

Also Read: Sonu Nigam’s first Wari song ‘Panduranga’ out now from Luv film’s Devmanus

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