Mumbai– Playback singer Sonu Nigam has lashed out at the media for attributing a controversial tweet to him that was actually posted by an imposter account on social media. The incident unfolded amid a heated debate over language policy in Karnataka.
On Thursday, Nigam took to Instagram to clarify his stance and shared screenshots showing a fake X (formerly Twitter) account impersonating him. The imposter account had engaged in an exchange with Tejasvi Surya, Member of Parliament from Bengaluru, regarding a dispute over language use in banking services in Karnataka.
Surya had posted a strongly worded statement criticizing a State Bank of India branch manager for not communicating with customers in Kannada. He stressed the importance of local language proficiency in customer-facing roles and called for stricter enforcement of policies requiring knowledge of regional languages.
In response, the fake Sonu Nigam account replied sarcastically, “Don’t dub Kannada movies in Hindi! Don’t release Kannada movies pan-India! Do you have the guts to say this to Kannada film stars, Mr. @Tejasvi_Surya, or are you just another language warrior?”
Several media outlets quoted the tweet as if it came from Sonu Nigam himself, sparking backlash. The singer was quick to call out the misinformation, stating that he has repeatedly clarified he is not active on X.
Furious over the misreporting, Nigam wrote on Instagram, “Are you out of your mind? How many times have I declared I am not on Twitter? Spreading misinformation in my name is only going to poison the minds of people who have loved me for so many years. Not everyone has the sense to fact-check your news. I’m truly done with this country’s desperate and brutal media. Shame.”
This is not the first time the singer has found himself at the center of a language-related controversy. Earlier, during a concert in Bengaluru, a man from the audience asked him to perform songs in Kannada. Following the show, an FIR was filed against Nigam at Avalahalli Police Station for allegedly making a provocative remark linking language politics to a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, where 26 tourists were killed.
In response to those allegations, Nigam again took to Instagram to clarify his position. He stated that only a few disruptive individuals in the audience were involved, while the rest were respectful. He emphasized that such fringe elements should be dealt with firmly.
The singer continues to maintain that he respects all Indian languages and cultures but is frustrated by repeated misrepresentation and misinformation. (Source: IANS)
