Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday requested the Central government to confer the highest civilian honour of the country, Bharat Ratna, on cultural icon the late Zubeen Garg. The Congress MP also sought justice for Garg, who died in Singapore under mysterious circumstances on September 19, leaving his fans in shock and disbelief.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Gogoi paid rich tributes to Garg, hailing him as a humanitarian who gave the people of Assam hope in the 1980s and 1990s, when the northeastern state was in the grip of insurgency. “I stand in the Parliament of India to pay tribute to one of the greatest sons of Assam, the late Zubeen Garg, who was a legendary musician. He passed away in Singapore in September when he was due to perform at a function organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, GoI, and the High Commission of India to Singapore,” Gaurav said in the Lik Sabha.
“Zubeen was an artiste, humanitarian, environmentalist, wildlife lover and a voracious reader of books. During the 80s and 90s, he gave the people of Assam hope. In recent years, he gave us moral courage and steel in our spines. He taught us how to overcome personal trauma and not be divided by religion and caste,” he said.
“He showed us a vision that was free from hate, fear, suspicion and mistrust. Zubeen will always be our Kanchenjunga. Today, the people of Assam miss him. We want justice for him. The government of Assam says it was a murder, then we want to know how, during a programme organised by the GoI, a murder was committed on foreign soil,” Gogoi said. “We request the GoI to give the highest civilian honour to the late Zubeen Garg,” he added.