Abhijeet is back: Singer calls Ghulam Ali a 'dengue artist from a terrorist country'

As if it was not enough that Shiv Sena illogically demanded the cancellation of Ghulam Ali’s concert scheduled for 9 October in Mumbai, singer Abhijeet has taken the opportunity to attack the Pakistani ghazal maestro.

Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya, in series of outrageous tweets, called the eminent singer a ‘Dengue Artist’ from a ‘Terrorist Country.’ Sample these tweets:

Expectedly, the singer received backlash on social media except for some, who hailed the singer’s stand on the issue. The Shiv Sena welcomed his statement ‘as he speaks for the nation.’

Here are some of the responses Abhijeet got from Twitterati:

@abhijeetsinger @ @ndtv abe ooo abhineet kaam nahi mil raha to time pass mat kar.bhai.gandi harkt se tuje kam esa bi nahi milne vala

— prince nawaz👑 (@nawaz1077) October 9, 2015

@abhijeetsinger @farhankhan203 @ndtv tu gulam ali ka paav ka dhul bhi nahi tu kayeka singar relwy station py gaany wala ek ghatiya gawaiyya

— bawa nawab ansari (@muhammedinsaf22) October 9, 2015

@abhijeetsinger @ndtv wow such a beautiful tweet r u serious shhadi qawal r u singing in any movies now days mayb cuz of ur behaviour

— drunken master (@farhankhan203) October 8, 2015

@abhijeetsinger You have got frustrated and Insane..! Because you have got no recognition or work left so just pouring dirt all around.

— Danish Khan (@danishdept) October 9, 2015

@abhijeetsinger Abeejit sir... I think u got mad. You forget you ar a singer and type of comments dont suit a singer like u..

— Boby Lodhi (@BobyKLodhi) October 9, 2015

This is not the first time Abhijeet has stuck both feet firmly into his mouth. When Salman Khan was being tried for 2002 hit-and-run-case, the singer had said on Twitter that roads were meant for “cars and dogs and not for people sleeping on them”.

He reached out to the film fraternity to support Khan and attacked the homeless by saying, “Kutta rd pe soyega kutte ki maut marega_, roads_ garib ke baap ki nahi hai I ws homles an year nvr slept on rd_”_ (If a dog sleeps on the road, he will die a dog’s death). He also asked why the victims were sleeping on the Mumbai roads and not in their villages.

Indian artists like actor Shabana Azmi, designer Wendell Rodricks and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt have expressed their displeasure towards the maestro’s ban saying that music knows no boundaries, while Pakistan’s censor board chief hoped that the Indian government will handle the issue ‘responsibly’.

R v at war with Pakistan? Hve v severed diplomatic relations?Hve v closd down our Embassies?Den what justification is dere 2 ban Ghulam Ali?

— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) October 8, 2015

Ghulam Ali was 2 perform in commemoration of Indias beloved Jasjit Singh in gesture of goodwill.Ok 2talk tough with Pak Govt not its artists

— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) October 8, 2015

The concert was to have been a tribute to late singer Jagjit Singh on his fourth death anniversary and had been brought to India through ‘Ek Ehsaas’ concerts.

Incidentally, Ghulam Ali, 74, who lent voice to a number of Indian film songs, had held a concert at the famous Sankat Mochan temple in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency in April this year.

Speaking to NDTV _,_ Ali had said that everyone should continue to be in ‘sur’ (in tune) and keep listening to music, ‘whether live or recorded’.

“I’m not angry, but I’m a bit hurt and sad. But there are can be sad moments in love as well. I don’t know why such situations and conflicts arise. We have performed in Mumbai on several occasion before and people have always showered their love on us. Whenever such news comes out, it causes commotion in society. The programme was important for me as it marked Jagjit’s death anniversary. And that’s why I got tense and thought that the move was wrong. It shouldn’t have happened. Jagjit was like a brother to me and whenever I met him we looked like one, not from India or Pakistan,” he said.

Post the cancellation of the Mumbai concert, Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi invited the Ghazal maestro to come and perform in the national capital. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offered to host the concert of Ghulam Ali.