Guwahati: A tense moment was seen in the Assam Assembly on Monday when Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stopped Chenga MLA Ashraful Hussain after he made a comment that sounded insulting to Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika.
The Assembly was discussing the death of singer Zubeen Garg. The ruling party supported the Opposition’s move to suspend the day’s work and talk about the singer.
While speaking in the House, MLA Ashraful brought up the issue of land expansion at Zubeen Garg’s cremation site. He then compared it with the land of another person’s memorial. He added that “people of Assam may ask for more land than others.”
The Chief Minister immediately intervened. He told the MLA not to make any remark that compares Bhupen Hazarika with anyone else or shows disrespect to him. The CM clearly said that Bhupen Hazarika is an icon of Assam and must never be belittled.
The land issue had created controversy earlier too. At that time, the CM had said both Zubeen Garg and Bhupen Hazarika are equally loved by the people of Assam, so both memorial sites would get equal land.
During the discussion, MLA Ashraful also raised questions about the circumstances of Zubeen Garg’s death.
