Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
New Delhi: A day after Assam Minister Ashok Singhal shared his controversial “gobi farming” post, Shashi Tharoor responded when a user tagged him under the original post. Many viewers were shocked by Singhal’s remark, which said “Bihar approves Gobi farming,” and the post faced widespread criticism.
The image shared by the Assam Minister alluded to the 1989 Logain massacre in Bhagalpur, Bihar. In Logain alone, more than 100 bodies were reportedly buried to hide the killings.
An X user, @isaifpatel, replied to Singhal’s post, stating that a cabinet minister was publicly “glorifying the massacre of 116 Muslims to celebrate an election victory.” He tagged Tharoor, urging the senior Congress leader to gather a group of influential Hindu leaders to condemn what he described as the “normalisation of one of the worst pogroms perpetrated against Bihari Muslims.”
Tharoor then responded, indirectly addressing Singhal’s “gobi farming” remark. He said he is not a community organiser and therefore joint statements are not his role. He added:
“I’m not a community organiser, so joint statements are not my job. But as a passionate advocate of Inclusive India and a proud Hindu, I can speak for myself, and for most Hindus I know, in saying that neither our faith nor our nationalism requires, justifies or condones such massacres, let alone applauds them.”
The violence traces back to 1989, a time when Bihar was already tense due to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. A large Ramshila procession entered Tatarpur, a predominantly Muslim area. While a previous procession had passed relatively peacefully, the second one carried provocative slogans.
Despite efforts by police to maintain control, participants in the procession threw a crude bomb near a Muslim high school. Police opened fire in response, killing two people. The procession quickly turned into a mob that began targeting Muslim-owned shops.
