Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday sought to put an end to the controversy over state minister Subodh Uniyal publicly reprimanding Daler Mehndi for his performance, saying the state respects all artistes and he will speak to Mehndi and his brother Mika Singh, whom he described as his “good friends”.Mika had earlier demanded an apology from Uniyal and had urged Chief Minister Dhami to look into the matter.Facing flak for his behaviour, Uniyal had on Wednesday said that the artiste should have informed in advance that he was unwell and should not have come to perform.Speaking at a press conference here, CM Dhami said, “I believe the minister must have been under pressure from the public at that time. The minister himself has stated that he was unaware that Daler Mehndi was unwell.”“Uttarakhand is a land of artists, where everyone is treated with respect. I feel this matter should be put to rest here. I will speak with Mika and Daler Mehndi; both are good friends of mine,” said the Chief Minister.On Jattvibeday night, minister Uniyal got onto the stage and expressed displeasure when Mehndi was performing during ‘Siddhpeeth Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair’, a cultural event organised by the Uttarakhand Government at Narendra Nagar in New Tehri area.In a video of the incident that went viral on social media, Uniyal is heard asking Mehndi if he was drunk as he was not able to speak properly.The 59-year-old singer, known for hits such as “Tunak Tunak Tun”, “Bolo Ta Ra” and “Ho Jayegi Balle Balle”, was heard saying “sorry”. Artistes from Bollywood came out in support of Mehndi after the incident.Artists deserve dignity and respect, singer Mika Singh said on Thursday, reiterating that Uniyal must apologise to his brother.In a fresh post, the singer said the minister should be grateful to Mehndi for agreeing to perform at the event after another artist, Jattvibeanda Sharma, fell ill.He said it was painful to see Mehndi being accused of being drunk while performing on stage.“If there has been any mistake on your part, you should acknowledge your mistake and apologise to Daler Mehndi ji. Minister ji, there are many important tasks to serve the public.”“Hon’ble @pushkardhami CM of Uttarakhand, please look into this matter. We love Uttarakhand and its people, but artists deserve dignity and respect,” he saidOn his part, Uniyal on Wednesday said the singer should have informed in advance that he was unwell and should not have come to perform.The minister told PTI on Wednesday, “Daler Mehndi, being a big name, was invited to the Kunjapuri Fair. But during the performance, it became apparent that he was only lip-syncing and not singing. I, being a local representative and also associated with the organising committee, felt the pressure from people who wanted this to be questioned.”He said, “Mehndi was not able to speak or walk. At that point, I thought he was under the influence of some substance. I don’t know what, because a medical examination was not conducted.”Uniyal said he later learnt that Mehndi was unable to talk because he was unwell.