Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday tendered an apology over his controversial social media post which appeared to propagate caste divisions by ‘misinterpreting’ a verse from the Bhagavad Gita.
The post implied that it was the “natural duty” of Shudras to serve Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas.
The opposition was quick to criticize Sarma for the post.
In response, the BJP leader attributed the post’s error to a team member. Sarma emphasized Assam’s “casteless society,” credited to Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva’s reform movement.
He expressed regret for any offense caused and reaffirmed his commitment to Assamese society’s egalitarian values.
“As a routine I upload one shloka of Bhagavad Gita every morning on my social media handles. Till date, I have posted 668 shlokas. Recently one of my team members posted a shloka from Chapter 18 verse 44 with an incorrect translation,” Sarma tweeted.
“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 apologize,” he added.