Guwahati, Feb 27: Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika has strongly criticised social media remarks mocking Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his Hindi accent, stating that such comments amount to an insult to the linguistic identity of the Northeast.
The controversy began after Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of Alt News, shared a post on X highlighting and ridiculing the Chief Minister’s Hindi pronunciation. The clip triggered sharp political reactions across Assam.
Responding to the criticism, Hazarika pointed out that Hindi is not the mother tongue of people in Assam, where communities grow up speaking Assamese, Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Bengali and several other languages. He said residents of the Northeast speak Hindi with pride to foster national unity and integration, not because it is imposed upon them.
He emphasised that for decades, people from the region have made efforts to learn and communicate in Hindi to connect with the rest of the country. Their accents, he said, reflect their geography and cultural roots, and should be seen as an expression of India’s diversity rather than a shortcoming.
The minister further questioned whether mocking an elected Chief Minister’s accent was tantamount to ridiculing the identity of an entire region. Describing the remarks as “elitist”, he said critics who are unable to challenge policies or governance often resort to personal attacks. He asserted that linguistic diversity must be respected in a pluralistic nation like India.
