Gaurav Gogoi writes to PM Modi seeking Bharat Ratna for late Zubeen Garg

Congress MP from Jorhat and Deputy Leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the posthumous conferment of the Bharat Ratna on legendary Assamese singer and cultural icon Zubeen Garg.

In his letter, Gogoi said Zubeen Garg’s untimely and tragic death had plunged Assam and the wider North East into deep grief, marking the loss of a towering cultural figure whose influence extended far beyond the region. He underlined that Garg was not just a celebrated artist, but a symbol of Assamese identity and cultural expression on national and international platforms.

The MP said he had consistently raised the matter across institutional forums. Gogoi recalled that on December 3, 2025, he raised the demand for a posthumous Bharat Ratna for Zubeen Garg during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha. He also pointed out that a day earlier, on December 4, 2025, he had written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, seeking clarity and accountability regarding the circumstances surrounding Garg’s death, which occurred during an official Government of India cultural engagement abroad.

In his communication to the Prime Minister, Gogoi emphasised Zubeen Garg’s unparalleled contribution to Indian music and culture, noting that his work carried the Assamese language and the artistic voice of the North East to audiences across India and the world. He said the conferment of the Bharat Ratna would be a fitting national recognition for an artist whose life’s work transcended regional boundaries and became an enduring part of India’s composite cultural heritage.

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has formally responded to Gogoi’s earlier intervention in Parliament. In a written reply dated January 2026, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai referred to Gogoi’s Zero Hour submission in the Lok Sabha on December 3, 2025, in which he demanded the Bharat Ratna for the late singer.

In his response, Rai stated that recommendations for the Bharat Ratna are sent by the Prime Minister to the President of India and that no formal recommendation process is required. He added that the clarification should make the position clear.

The renewed demand by Gogoi comes amid heightened public emotion and political focus on Zubeen Garg’s legacy, with growing calls in Assam and the North East for the country’s highest civilian honour to be conferred on the iconic musician.