Adnan Sami on his Padma Shri: Attack me but don't attack the award

Padma Shri recipient Adnan Sami claims he is being used as a pawn by people who have been attacking the government for conferring him with the honourFrankly speaking politicians actually dont have anything against me because I am not a politician I am a musician In the morning they will say bad things about me and in the evening they will sit with a drink and listen to my songs As a musician my job is to make people happy with music and spread love They are talking against me because they have their own political issues with the government Adnan Sami told IANSHe added I end up being a pawn in the whole thing My name is simply being used because they have their animosity against political counterpartsMaharashtra Minorities Development Minister and NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik tweeted ti declare that conferring Padma Shri to Sami is an insult to Indians He alleged that the gesture of conferring the award to Sami was the governments effort to do damage control for being questioned over CAA and NRCNational President of AntarRashtriya Hindu Parishad Praveen Togadia has reportedly said that honouring Sami with such an award is an insult to Indias martyrs because Samis father served the Pakistani Air ForceIn 2015 after his Pakistani passport expired Sami applied for Indian citizenship He was granted Indian citizenship in January 2016The singer reacted to criticism over his Padma victory saying While they are in the middle of this bickering with one another they should not drag an artist into this What have I got to do with politics I am an artist and I have been given this award for excellence in the field I represent which is music By doing this you are insulting the dignity of the prestigious award he claimedSami also expressed gratitude to his fans and the Indian government Its undoubtedly the greatest honour that anyone can ever receive It is the personification of recognition of your efforts and hard work and the love which my fans and the people have for me the respect and love the government has for my work I am most grateful and extremely honoured My entire family is extremely happy and proud said the singerEver since his Padma Shri win Sami has been facing flak on social media too but he seems unperturbed As far as the trolls are concerned I dont take them seriously If you break it down you will see 30 per cent of the trolls are trying to seek your attention The next 30 per cent are those who are basically frustrated with themselves The next 20 per cent are those who are misguided and the remaining are fools who believe in their own nonsense So its totally insignificant I actually feel bad for them the singer reveals his selfassessment of trollsSami further expressed I wouldnt mind if they say that as a musician I am not deserving for this award Attack me but dont attack the sanctity of this award which I value and respect a lot For me its sacredI have never indulged in politics I have never said anything against the Congress or anybody because I am not a politician Most importantly I have a career of 34 years out of which 20 years have been devoted to Bollywood in India I lived here for 20 years My contribution is of 20 years in India alone Its sad that just to further your agenda you are unnecessarily dragging In somebody who has nothing to do with politics signed off the singerCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates