Leaders condemn folk singer’s insulting comments

Surat: A viral video showing statements made by folk singer Rajbha Gadhvi sparked outrage in Dang district. While describing the situation in a few states, Gadhvi said from the dais that "one could get robbed in Dang Ahwa at night".
The statement sparked anger among the tribal people of Dang, which led to Valsad BJP MP Dhaval Patel objecting to the comments on Thursday. Dang district is part of the Valsad parliamentary constituency.
On Friday, minister of state for tribal development Kunvarji Halpati condemned Gadhvi's comments and warned of dire consequences if such assertions were repeated.
"The statement was objectionable and he was not speaking out of anger but from a dais at an event when he was relaxed. This is an insult to the people of Dang," said Patel.
"There are so many tourist spots in Dang and lakhs of people visit without any issues. Considering all this, I demanded an apology from Gadhvi and he expressed regret in a video but did not apologize. I am not going to take further action at present, but I warn him of strict action if he repeats this again," Patel told TOI.
Halpati, who is also the in-charge minister of Dang, said, "I condemn the statement by Gadhvi and he should apologize to the people of Dang. If he repeats such a statement again, the pandal of his event will be uprooted."