Assam asks: Why did PM Modi ignore Zubeen Garg’s memorial?
Guwahati: A political controversy has erupted after Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped the memorial of Assam’s most loved cultural icon, Zubeen Garg, during his two-day visit to the state, triggering sharp reactions from opposition parties and civil society.
Prime Minister Modi visited Assam on December 20 and 21, during which he inaugurated the new terminal building of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, visited the newly built Swahid Smarak Kshetra, interacted with students during Pariksha Pe Charcha, and took part in a massive BJP roadshow.
However, despite a packed political schedule, Modi neither visited Zubeen Kshetra in Sonapur nor mentioned Zubeen Garg even once in any of his speeches or public interactions. This was Modi’s first visit to Assam after the death of Zubeen Garg, whose passing had sparked massive public outrage and statewide protests demanding justice.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister, accusing him of deliberately ignoring the cultural soul of Assam.
Addressing a gathering in Majuli, Gogoi said, “Lakhs of Assamese people came out on the streets demanding justice for Zubeen da. The Prime Minister stayed in Assam for two days, attended several programmes, but could not find a few minutes to visit Zubeen Kshetra. He had time for party events and roadshows, but not for the place that holds the deepest emotional value for the people of Assam.”
Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi also slammed Modi, saying the Prime Minister’s priorities were clear. “He came, handed over the airport to Adani, remembered martyrs selectively, spoke to BJP workers about elections, discussed exams with students—but had no time for the beloved Zubeen of Assam,” he said.
Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi expressed disappointment, saying, “The Prime Minister visited Assam for the first time after the death of Ishwar Zubeen Garg. We hoped he would at least remember the artist who lives in the soul of Assam. But he remained silent. This silence hurts.”
The controversy has further intensified as this is not the first time senior BJP leaders have avoided Zubeen’s memorial. Earlier, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her Guwahati visit on November 7, did not visit Zubeen Kshetra or meet his family.
In contrast, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi visited Zubeen Garg’s cremation site and residence in Guwahati on October 17, 2025. He paid tribute by offering a Gamusa, laying a wreath, lighting candles, and planting a nahor sapling at the cremation ground in Sonapur.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar also visited Jorhat on October 1, 2025, to meet Zubeen Garg’s family and convey condolences on behalf of the Congress leadership.
International leaders, too, showed respect. Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck sent a special envoy to Guwahati to pay tribute, while a Bangladesh government delegation led by Deputy High Commissioner Priti Rahman visited Zubeen Kshetra in late October.
Yet, despite all this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not spare time to visit the memorial of Assam’s cultural conscience.
This has raised uncomfortable questions: Was Zubeen Garg ignored because he was openly critical of the BJP? Was it because he identified himself as a socialist, a Left-leaning voice, and a rebel who never aligned with power? Or is dissenting art simply unacceptable in Modi’s India?
For many in Assam, Modi’s silence is not accidental—it is political. And it has deepened the growing perception that the BJP respects culture only when it bows before power.