Himanta welcomes Rahul’s Zubeen tribute, takes swipe at Congress for Bhupen Hazarika no-show

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on October 17, acknowledged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's visit to pay tribute to the late singer Zubeen Garg, while simultaneously addressing growing tensions with Singapore over the ongoing investigation into the artist's death.

Speaking about Gandhi's visit, which came 28 days after Garg's passing, Sarma drew a pointed comparison to past events. "When Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika's body was at Judge's Field for public tribute and cremation, not a single senior Congress leader came during those three days," the Chief Minister said, recalling his own time in the Congress party. "We were deeply saddened. People kept asking us questions."

Despite the delayed visit, Sarma struck a conciliatory tone. "Better late than never. Since he came to pay tribute to our beloved artist, I welcome his visit to Assam. I don't want to make any political comments about it," he stated.

The Chief Minister then shifted focus to diplomatic concerns, revealing that Singapore's government has formally complained to India about harassment of its officials on social media.

"The Government of Singapore sent a formal letter to the Government of India expressing disappointment over various unpleasant messages sent to the social media accounts of its government officials," Sarma disclosed.

Singapore has requested Assam to appeal to its citizens to stop posting on Singaporean officials' social media accounts regarding the case. The Singapore Police have scheduled a meeting with Assam Police officials on October 21 to discuss the investigation's progress.

"The Singapore Police has assured us they will discuss the issue with Assam Police and make the investigation report public after three months," Sarma said, adding that he would refrain from further comments until after the police teams meet.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi visited Garg's Guwahati residence to pay respects and demand transparency in the investigation. "The family has lost Zubeen and all they want is the truth to be clear. The people of Assam want to know what happened because they want closure," Gandhi said.

Comparing the singer to Mount Kanchenjunga, Gandhi described Garg as "honest, transparent, unshakable, and beautiful." He praised the singer's humility despite his success and called for urgent government action to ensure a quick and transparent investigation.

"We love Zubeen Garg, we want to honour him, but first we want transparency and justice. What happened in Singapore, everybody in Assam should know, and the sooner it happens, the better," Gandhi said.