The Mahagathbandhan has virtually suffered a complete rout in the Bihar elections. The NDA has returned to power with increased strength after winning a huge number of seats. Meanwhile, a post by an Assam minister has sparked controversy. Ashok Singhal, a member of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma's cabinet, posted a picture of cauliflower on social media, actually evoking memories of a horrific incident from the infamous 1989 Bhagalpur massacre.
Ashok Singhal, Assam's Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Irrigation, posted a picture of a green cauliflower field on X. He wrote, "Bihar approves Gobi farming." While this post may seem irrelevant at first glance, it actually hints at the horrific incident of the 1989 Bhagalpur massacre. During that massacre, after killing 116 Muslims in Logain village in Bihar, their bodies were buried in graves. Cauliflower saplings were then planted over them to hide the bodies.
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Many, including 'Diaspora in Action for Human Rights and Democracy', have criticised this post on X. However, despite much criticism, Minister Ashok Singhal has not deleted his post. A few hours after that post, the minister credited Amit Shah for Bihar's victory. Ashok Singhal said that Amit Shah has expanded the NDA's social base by strengthening social outreach, women's power and youth power.
Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi has strongly condemned this post, calling it 'shameful'. He expressed that such a post by an Assam cabinet member after the Bihar election results is extremely condemnable. This mentality is promoted by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma. This is not Assam's culture.
