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This story is from November 23, 2017

Cancer remark: Assam health minister apologises, says statement was misconstrued

Trolled on Twitter for the third day on Thursday after saying cancer is a result of sins in past lives at a function organised for distribution of appointment letters to teachers on Tuesday, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in today apologised for the controversy, which he said was mindless and “triggered by few political desperado.”
Cancer remark: Assam health minister apologises, says statement was misconstrued
Key Highlights
  • The minister said his statements were misconstrued and he was only trying to motivate school teachers to serve the poor or face karmic retribution
  • He said the uproar mindless and “triggered by few political desperado"
GUWAHATI: Trolled on Twitter for the third day on Thursday after saying cancer is a result of sins in past lives at a function organised for distribution of appointment letters to teachers on Tuesday, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday evening apologised for the controversy, which he said was mindless and “triggered by few political desperado.”

Sarma who has been taking on trolls on Twitter for the past 24 hours even brought in “God” to steer clear of the statement and said his statements were misconstrued and he was only trying to motivate school teachers to serve the poor or face karmic retribution.
He tweeted, “Not arguing with anyone. Only availing a huge opportunity to speak little bit about Hindu philosophy. We accept that even Lord Krishna died because of karmic deficiency. That’s is our philosophy” (sic).
Later in the evening Sarma in a written statement said, “My speech on divine justice and Karmic deficiency is being quoted out of context. In their bid to trivialize and sensationalise, no one is looking at the content of my whole speech and intent. It was said in the context of helping poor students of government schools and request to teachers not to neglect them. It was also a message to indicate district education officers not to harass teachers.”
Sarma attributed the creation of the controversy to a section of media and his rivals in Congress party and said that his “passion to work on containing cancer” was known both in Assam and outside. “But the way a section of national media, local media and few in Congress party is now playing the story, I am pained to say, will cause agony among cancer patients and their relatives. I lost my father, best friends and relatives to cancer.”
“I reiterate at no point my statement was intended to cause any pain to cancer patients. However, if owing to the blatant distortions, it has caused any anxiety and problems to anyone, I hereby offer my unconditional apology for the pain,” he stated.

He asked why cancer happens to some individuals and not to other in spite of living under same environment. “Science has not been able to give answer to many of our perennial queries and therefore at our last moment, we are asked to pray God,” he said and added, “I once again offer my apology to those who might have been hurt owing to this absolutely mindless controversy triggered by few political desperado.”
The trolling was so intense that the minister took to twitter with a series of posts at Wednesday midnight before going to sleep to steer clear of the raging controversy.
Former home minister P Chidambaram happened to be one of the first to troll Sarma with his twit early Wednesday morning, “Cancer is divine justice for sins' says Assam Minister Sharma. That is what switching parties does to a person” Sarma shot back, twitting, “Sir, please do not distort. Simply I said that Hinduism believe in karmic law and human sufferings are linked to karmic deficiency of past life. Don’t you belief that too? Of course in your party I do not know whether Hindu philosophy can be discussed at all” (sic).

Outside the social media, Congress leader of Opposition in the state assembly, Debabrata Saikia said, “At a time when superstitious beliefs are so common in the state, such a statement and that too from the health minister speaks volumes about his irresponsibility.”
Leader of Bodo People Front, BJP’s partner in the state, and Rajya Sabha MP Biswajit Daimary said, “One should not involve so much with religious matters and when one does that, such statements come out.”
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About the Author
Prabin Kalita

Prabin Kalita is a journalist at The Times of India and is currently the Chief of Bureau (northeast). He has been reporting in mainstream Indian national media since 2001. He has been a field journalist reporting gamut of issues from India’s northeastern region and major developments in neighbouring countries like Myanmar, China, Bhutan and Bangladesh concerning India and northeastern region. He has been covering insurgency—internal and cross-border, politics, natural calamities, environment etc. He is a post-graduate in Geological Sciences from Gauhati University.

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