Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma apologises for casteist post; deletes

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has apologised for uploading on his social media post an "incorrect translation" of a verse from the Bhagavad Gita. The post is accused of promoting division on caste lines.

Opposition parties, including Congress, CPI(M) and AIMIM, attacked BJP for Sarma's post. Opposition leaders said Assam chief minister's post reflected "BJP's Manuvadi and regressive ideology".

In a post on X, Sarma wrote on Thursday night: "As a routine, I upload one sloka of Bhagavad Gita every morning on my social media handles. Till date, I have posted 668 slokas. Recently, one of my team members posted a sloka from Chapter 18, verse 44, with an incorrect translation. As soon as I noticed the mistake, I promptly deleted the post. The state of Assam reflects a perfect picture of a casteless society, thanks to the reform movement led by Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva. If the deleted post has offended anyone, I sincerely apologise."


Sarma's post had read: "Serving the Brahmins, Ksatriyas and Vaishyas is the natural duty of the Shudras."