Bhojpuri folk singer Devi recently faced controversy during an event in Bihar commemorating the birth centenary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. While performing a rendition of the popular bhajan “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram,” she was allegedly forced to stop singing after some audience members objected to the line “Ishwar Allah Tero Naam.”
Devi, in an interview with ANI, expressed her shock over the incident. She explained, “I was singing a bhajan, a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi, in the presence of prominent BJP leaders including Bihar’s Deputy CM Vijay Sinha and Ashwini Chaubey. But when I reached the line ‘Ishwar Allah Tero Naam,’ a few members of the ‘Hindu Putra Sangathan’ started protesting.”
The situation escalated when the on-stage leaders struggled to manage the protest. Some approached Devi, asking her to apologize in order to calm the situation. “I apologized because I didn’t want things to worsen, especially since I had received the ‘Atal Vishisht Samman’ from the Deputy CM,” she added.
However, Devi now demands strict action against the individuals responsible for the disruption. “I am receiving threats, and it’s a disrespect to women. Such behavior, especially on the birth anniversary of Vajpayee, who worked to unite all communities, is shameful,” she stated, urging the party to take action against those who caused the chaos. Despite the ordeal, Devi thanked her supporters for their solidarity.
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