Guwahati: Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Ashok Singhal has faced widespread criticism for allegedly making controversial remarks about “Bhaona,” the traditional Assamese Hindu religious performing art form.
The controversy arose after a delegation from the Guwahati Press Club met Minister Singhal on Monday to invite him to a Bhaona performance organized by the journalists. During the meeting, the minister reportedly questioned the Press Club’s decision to host the event, stating, “Bhaona is not secular.”
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The Guwahati Press Club has strongly condemned the minister’s remarks, calling them “unfortunate and disrespectful to Assam’s rich cultural heritage.”
The press club in a statement said that their event was inclusive, inviting individuals from all sectors, including political and non-political organizations.
The Press Club has demanded a clarification from Minister Singhal and urged him to respect the legacy of Srimanta Sankardeva’s Bhaona tradition.
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The Journalist Association for Assam (JAFA) also denounced the minister’s statement, deeming it “unacceptable.”
JAFA demanded that Minister Singhal retract his comments and issue a formal apology. The scribes’ body described his remarks as an “affront to Assam’s cultural traditions” and urged him to exercise caution in future statements.
The Guwahati Press Club said that Minister Singhal “insulted the teacher with national sentence on ‘Why should the press club conduct drama, drama is not secular’ ” and demanded clarification by “changing his mentality.”
The minister’s comments also sparked criticism on social media.
Sensing the growing backlash, Minister Singhal issued a clarification on Tuesday. He denied making the controversial statements, calling the allegations “completely false and fabricated.”
“It is true that a delegation of the media came to me and they invited me to the bhaona. But it is impossible for me to imagine such a thing, let alone say anything ridiculous about bhaona. Therefore, this attempt to insult the Jagatguru and humiliate me in the public mind by making up such a story and associating the name of the Mahapurusha with it cannot be accepted,” he stated.