Guwahati: Assam state cabinet minister Pijush Hazarika strongly condemned social media comments targeting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his Hindi accent, terming the criticism an affront to the linguistic and cultural identity of the Northeast.
The controversy began when Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of Alt News, shared a clip on X that highlighted and mocked the Chief Minister’s Hindi pronunciation.
The post quickly triggered sharp political reactions, particularly in Assam, where leaders across the ruling establishment described the remarks as insensitive and dismissive of the region’s diversity.
Reacting strongly, Hazarika pointed out that Hindi is not the mother tongue of the people of Assam. He underscored that citizens of the state grow up speaking a wide array of languages, including Assamese, Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa and Bengali, among others.
He emphasized that people from the Northeast make a conscious effort to learn and speak Hindi as a bridge language to connect with the rest of the country — not because it is imposed, but as a gesture of national integration.
“For decades, the people of the Northeast have embraced Hindi to strengthen bonds with fellow Indians. Our accents are shaped by our geography and our cultural roots. That is not a shortcoming — it is a reflection of India’s diversity,” Hazarika said.
The minister further questioned whether ridiculing an elected Chief Minister’s accent amounts to belittling the identity of an entire region. Describing the remarks as “elitist,” he argued that critics unable to challenge governance or policy often resort to personal attacks.
“When you cannot engage on substance, you choose to mock pronunciation,” he remarked, asserting that linguistic diversity must be respected in a plural democracy like India.