A folk singer, while singing at a function to commemorate the life of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had to stop her performance, and apologise to the public. Massive protests erupted after the folk singer Devi sang the lines “Ishwar Allah tero naam” as part of her rendition of Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram.
Why the folk singer apologised
Devi explained that the event organisers had requested her to sing a bhajan, and she felt it was “befitting to sing Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite bhajan” for the occasion, according to The Indian Express. She noted that the performance began without issue, but when she reached the stanza “Ishwar Allah tero naam,” a section of the audience protested, prompting her to stop singing. Devi also mentioned that Choubey intervened and managed to calm the crowd.
Bhajan hurt the feelings of ‘petty people’
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD ) president Lalu Yadav also posted about the protests, stating the bhajan, which is closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, hurt the feelings of ‘petty people’.
“Yesterday in Patna, when the singer sang Gandhiji’s hymn “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, Patit Pavan Sita Ram”, Nitish Kumar’s fellow BJP members created an uproar.
The Bhajan hurt the feelings of petty people with low understanding. Bhajan singer Devi had to apologise,” Lalu Yadav posted on X.
Senior BJP leader Shahnawaz, who was also a former union minister in the Vajpayee administration, described the incident as “the height of intolerance,” according to The Indian Express.
“I had quoted Atal ji during my address. He used to say, ‘chhote dil se koi bada nahi hota (no one makes it big with a small heart)’. The protest of the bhajan is the height of intolerance. I felt too embarrassed and ashamed,” said Shahnawaz Hussain, as per a report by IE.