Malini refuses Bhojpuri Academy brand ambassador post

Awadhi folk singer Malini Awasthi today refused the position of Bhojpuri Academy International Ambassador to put to an end to controversy on the issue after singer-actor Manoj Tiwari protested her appointment.
"I thank you all for appointing me as the Bhojpuri Academy International Ambassador by taking into account my commitment to the Bhojpuri language and contributions towards its promotion, but I cannot accept the position in view of controversy on the issue," she said in a letter to the Bhojpuri Academy Chairman Ravikant Dube.
Malini said she will, however, be available to perform and promote Bhojpuri folk songs whenever the state government seeks her services.

Bhojpuri singer-actor Tiwari had protested the Avadhi singer's appointment as the Bhojpuri Academy brand ambassador on the ground that she was not a representative of Bhojpuri culture and also threatened to return an award given to him by the state government.
He had said another Bhojpuri singer Bharat Sharma would also return his award in protest.
Tiwari, who had sung Bhojpuri songs and acted in a number of regional films, wondered as to why popular singers like Sharda Sinha, Bharat Sharma or actor Ravi Kishan were ignored for selection of the post.