Diljit Dosanjh challenges authority: ‘Ban alcohol across the country’

Singer Diljit Dosanjh tore into the calls for not promoting alcohol in his songs, challenging authorities across the country to ban liquor. His strong remarks came after the Telangana government directed him not to promote alcohol, drugs, and violence in his songs ahead of his Hyderabad concert. The singer, who is on a Dil-Luminati India Tour, then tweaked his songs 'Lemonade' and '5 Taara', but called out double standards by the authorities.

Performing in Ahmedabad last evening, the popular singer shared that if they want him to stop mentioning alcohol in his numbers, they need to ban alcohol everywhere in the country. Diljit also took a dig at his fellow artistes, especially actors from Bollywood, who endorse various alcohol brands. He said, "Let's start a movement—if all states ban liquor consumption completely, I will never sing a song about alcohol again in my entire life. Is this possible?"

He went on to talk about states shutting all the shops during the pandemic, except liquor shops. Diljit said, "During COVID, everything was closed except liquor shops. You can’t fool the youth. If not a complete ban, then at least declare a dry day in your state on the day of my performance, and I will refrain from singing any alcohol-related song."

The 40-year-old international star warned everyone against 'poking' him. He said, "I won't even sing those songs. It's easy for me to tweak the songs, bro. Also, I don’t consume alcohol myself. Bollywood celebrities promote alcohol in advertisements, but I don’t. Don’t poke me. I quietly do my program and leave."

His outburst came two days after he performed in Hyderabad as part of his ongoing Dil-luminati concert in India. The singer shared how foreign artistes never face such regulations when they come to perform in India, and the authorities are now trying to restrict one of their own.