Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that conferring Bharat Ratna on Zubeen Garg is a serious matter, but the Congress has taken it casually. "Everyone needs to follow the right procedure for conferring Bharat Ratna on a person," he said.
Congress' deputy leader in parliament, Gaurav Gogoi, raised the demand for Bharat Ratna for Zubeen Garg in a brief speech in the Lok Sabha recently.
The Chief Minister said, "The Congress has taken the issue of Bharat Ratna casually. It is quite unlikely that the Centre will confer Bharat Ratna on a person after an MP raises the demand in parliament. According to procedure, the Assam Assembly has to hold a special discussion on Zubeen Garg. The ruling and the opposition parties have to move their respective proposals encompassing the entire oeuvre of Zubeen Garg for the conferment of Bharat Ratna. The members of the ruling and the opposition parties need to sign the proposals. The Assembly will then pass the proposals and send them to the Central government."
The Chief Minister further said, "Nobody should resort to using Zubeen Garg for their cheap publicity. Can an MP delivering a speech spanning one or two minutes on Zubeen Garg convince the MPs of other states in the parliament? The Assembly needs to discuss the oeuvre of the singer. The Congress should desist from politics of votes in the name of Zubeen Garg."
Regarding the charge sheet in the Zubeen Garg death case, the Chief Minister said, "The SIT is ready to file the charge sheet any day between December 6 and 12. The SIT completed its investigation and discussed it with the Advocate General of Assam. It is taking time, as the SIT has to certify around 3,500 documents collected during the investigation. If the SIT cannot file the charge before December 18, the accused will get bail. I've asked the SIT not to wait for December 18 and file the charge sheet before December 12."
Also Read: Assam: Gaurav Gogoi raises Bharat Ratna demand for Zubeen in Lok Sabha