Guwahati: Assam minister Ashok Singhal’s social media post referencing “Bihar approves Gobi farming” has ignited a political storm, with opposition leaders accusing him of indirectly glorifying the 1989 Bhagalpur massacre, in which over 100 Muslims were killed.
The controversy erupted after Singhal posted the remark on X on November 14, alongside a photograph of a cauliflower field, soon after the NDA’s victory in the Bihar Assembly elections. Many users linked the imagery to the Bhagalpur killings, where perpetrators allegedly buried victims under cauliflower fields.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor condemned the post, stating on November 16 that neither Hinduism nor Indian nationalism condones such violence. Responding to users who sought a collective Hindu condemnation, Tharoor said he could speak for himself and “most Hindus” in asserting that massacres cannot be justified or celebrated.
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Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi called the minister’s post a “shocking new low in political discourse.” TMC MP Saket Gokhale also criticised Singhal, explaining that “gobi farming” is widely understood as a reference to the Bhagalpur atrocity. He alleged that the Prime Minister’s Office silently endorsed the message.
The episode has triggered broader debates on political ethics and the use of sensitive historical tragedies in online political messaging.
