Assam minister’s ‘gobi farming’ post sparks outrage; linked to Bhagalpur riots

A social media post by Assam cabinet minister Ashok Singhal has triggered sharp political backlash, with Opposition parties condemning it as a “vulgar and shameful” reference to one of independent India’s worst episodes of communal violence — the 1989 Bhagalpur riots in Bihar.

On Friday, hours after the Bihar Assembly election results were declared, Singhal posted on X a photograph showing cauliflower cultivation, captioned: 'Bihar approves Gobi farming.'

Though the minister gave no context, the imagery immediately drew criticism because cauliflower plantations have long been associated with the Logain massacre, in which 116 Muslims were killed and allegedly buried beneath fields where cauliflowers were later planted to hide evidence.

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi slammed Singhal’s post as a “shocking new low in political discourse,” accusing the BJP of mocking a gruesome chapter of communal violence for political one-upmanship.

“The image is widely associated with the Logain massacre… To invoke such a tragedy in this manner is both vulgar and shameful,” Gogoi wrote on X. He further alleged that such behaviour stems from a political culture encouraged by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, whom he accused of harbouring hostility toward minorities.

“This is not what Assam stands for. Assam is the land of Srimanta Sankardev, Lachit Borphukan and Azaan Pir,” he said, predicting that voters would “end the rule of hate and greed” in the 2026 Assembly elections.

Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale went a step further, claiming that a BJP minister would not post such content without tacit approval from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“‘Gobi farming’ is a reference to glorifying mass killing… Not some fringe element — this is Modi’s BJP minister from Assam. Clearly the PMO approves this,” Gokhale alleged.

Neither the PMO nor chief minister Sarma commented on the controversy. Singhal has also not clarified the intent behind his post.

Opposition leaders say the remark reflects a “dangerous trivialisation of communal violence” at a time when political rhetoric around elections is increasingly polarised.

With agency inputs