Assam BJP Minister Faces Backlash Over ‘Gobi Farming’ Remarks Linked to Bhagalpur Riots
मुख्य बातें
- •Assam’s BJP minister Parimal Shuklabaidya sparked outrage after comparing the 1989 Bhagalpur riots to “gobi farming” during a May 12 public event in Barpeta.
- •Opposition parties, including Congress and AIUDF, have condemned the remark as insensitive and demanded Shuklabaidya’s resignation.
- •The Janata Dal (United), an ally of the BJP, has distanced itself from the comment, emphasizing communal harmony.
- •The Bhagalpur riots resulted in over 1,000 deaths, primarily of Muslims, and remain a highly sensitive topic in India’s communal history.
- •The controversy highlights growing concerns over hate speech and provocative statements by BJP leaders in Assam.
Guwahati: An innocuous-sounding phrase—“gobi farming”—has landed Assam’s Minister for Fisheries, Environment, and Forest, Parimal Shuklabaidya, in a fresh controversy after he used the term to describe the 1989 Bhagalpur riots during a public event in Barpeta district. The remark, made on May 12, has triggered sharp criticism from opposition parties, including the Congress and AIUDF, who have accused the BJP leader of trivializing one of India’s darkest communal clashes.
During a rally in Barpeta, Shuklabaidya reportedly said, “The Bhagalpur riots were so severe that people used to say it was like ‘gobi ki kheti’ (cultivation of cauliflower), meaning it was widespread and abundant.” The phrase, though colloquially used to imply something being commonplace, has drawn outrage for its perceived insensitivity toward the victims of the riots, in which over 1,000 people—mostly Muslims—were killed in Bihar.
