Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Borah sought forgiveness from the people of Assam for brazenly equating Lord Krishna and Rukmini’s relationship as Love Jihad, saying that his ancestors reprimanded him in his dreams.
“Last night, I had a vision in my sleep. My ancestors came to me in my dream and made me realise my mistake over the comments. They told me to visit a Namghar and pray,” the Congress leader told reporters here in Guwahati.
The apology came soon after Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma tore into the Congress leader for passing the highly objectionable remark. The Assam CM lambasted Congress by saying that there will come a time when Congress leaders will not be able to find a place to stay other than a mosque or madarsa. He pledged that the government would take legal action against Borah if a complaint was filed against him.
“I made a mistake by uttering such words about ‘love jihad’ happening in Mahabharata. I saw my grandfather in my dream, and he pointed out that I had erred,” said Bora, expressing deep remorse over his remarks.
Bora has committed to visit Namghar, a traditional prayer hall, where he plans to worship with tamol-pan—a customary offering of betel nut and betel leaves.
Bora emphasized the significance of recognition from Satradhikar—the spiritual heads of Vaishnav monasteries—in acknowledging his mistake.
“I deeply care for my party’s well-being and cannot bear to see it suffer due to my words. Similarly, I cannot bear to see Bhakat Vaishnavas in pain because of my remarks about Mahabharata,” asserted Bora.
It may be noted that the Congress leader had during the ongoing exchange of words between him and the Chief Minister remarked that Lord Krishna’s marriage to Rukmini could also be seen as an instance of “love-jihad,” drawing attention to the controversial term often used by right-wing politicians alleging forced conversions through seduction by Muslim men.
The ongoing exchange of remarks between the Chief Minister and Bhupen Borah escalated when the latter retaliated to CM Sarma’s “love-jihad” comment regarding the Golaghat triple murder case.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that Bhupen Borah will soon be arrested if an FIR is lodged against him for his controversial remark about Lord Krishna.
The Golaghat triple murder case shocked the state, with the victims, Sanjeev Ghosh, Junu Ghosh, and Sanghamitra Ghosh, brutally killed with sharp weapons, allegedly by the accused, 25-year-old Najibur Rahman Bora, a qualified mechanical engineer. In response to the heinous crime, a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter.
