Himanta Biswa Sarma does a Shashi Tharoor on Shashi Tharoor

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched a sharp rebuke against Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for a social media post seemingly mocking Uttar Pradesh's examination system.

The controversy began when Tharoor shared an image on X (formerly Twitter) of a purported exam answer sheet. The question asked, "What is called Uttar Pradesh?" with the answer reading, "The state where the answer is known before the examination is called Uttar Pradesh." Tharoor captioned the post "Fabulous #examinationdiscussion".

Responding to Tharoor's post on June 23, CM Sarma accused the Congress leader of "satirising various cultures" and suggested he had "succumbed to the beguiling whispers of lunacy."

"This gentleman frequently indulges in satirizing various cultures (first Northeast and now UP) with remarkably caustic words," Sarma wrote.

"He has succumbed to the beguiling whispers of lunacy, his mind adrift in the ethereal mists of derangement," Sarma added.

This gentleman frequently indulges in satirizing various cultures (first Northeast and now UP) with remarkably caustic words.

He has succumbed to the beguiling whispers of lunacy, his mind adrift in the ethereal mists of derangement. https://t.co/aGuUU61bAy

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 23, 2024

The exchange comes amid nationwide discussions about exam paper leaks, affecting high-profile tests like NEET and UGC-NET.