Amid the ongoing controversy over the erasure of Zubeen Garg’s portrait at Ganeshguri, Union Minister Pabitra Margherita has now spoken out. Appealing not to politicize Zubeen Garg, he said that erasing an image does not make Zubeen vanish.
While participating in a program at Sonari in Charaideo district, the Union Minister said that the Assamese people love Zubeen Garg from the heart. There is no division of ruling or opposition — all people love him equally.
Pabitra Margherita said, “Can anyone forget Zubeen? No one can erase Zubeen’s image just because they feel like it. Zubeen will live on for ages for the Assamese community and the Brahmaputra civilization. Erasing a portrait does not make Zubeen disappear.”
The Union Minister also remarked that a section has started politicizing the incident of erasing the portrait of the beloved artist. He said that Zubeen Garg’s existence or the public’s emotion for him should not be used for political interests.
In this context, Pabitra Margherita said, “If Zubeen’s photograph was lawfully placed at an appropriate location, then erasing it was not right.” However, he also mentioned that he does not have complete information about the incident.
The Union Minister further said that a contractor or worker may have erased the image by mistake. He added that such an incident could happen due to a failure to realize the depth of the Assamese people’s love and emotion for Zubeen Garg.
It may be noted that the recent erasure of Zubeen Garg’s portrait and the words ‘Comrade Never Die’ painted on a pillar of the Ganeshguri flyover in Guwahati has sparked intense reactions across the state. Following this, controversy and debate continue over repainting the image.