Paying a tribute to legendary singer Bhupen Hazarika during his birth centenary celebrations in Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he is pained by the alleged insult of the Bharat Ratna
recipient by the Congress.
Modi said as a devotee of Shiva, he can swallow all insults against him but cannot tolerate it when someone else is on the receiving end. In 2019, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had reportedly slammed the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre for conferring the Bharat Ratna to a ‘singer’ instead of spiritual leader Shivakumara Swami.
“No matter how much abuse they hurl at me, I am a devotee of Lord Shiva; I absorb all that. But when someone else is insulted, I cannot tolerate it,” Modi said while addressing a gathering in Darrang. “The Government of India awarded the Bharat Ratna to Bhupendra da ji, the pride of Assam and a true son of the nation. The Congress president said Modi is giving the Bharat Ratna to people known for dancing and singing.”
VIDEO | Assam: While addressing a gathering in Darrang, PM Narendra Modi said, “No matter how much abuse they hurl at me, I am a devotee of Lord Shiva; I absorb all that. But when someone else is insulted, I cannot tolerate it. I know their (Congress) entire ecosystem will say… pic.twitter.com/jOKn7FOn7G
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 14, 2025
Modi said music and art lovers in India should ask the Congress why they insulted Hazarika. He said it is one of the “double-engine” BJP government’s foremost priorities to respect and preserve the cultural heritage of Assam, along with its rapid development.
#WATCH | Darrang, Assam: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "When the 'Namdaar' beats the 'Kamdaar' and if the 'Kamdaar' cries out in pain, they torture him even more, saying that you don't even have the right to cry. How can you cry being a 'Kamdaar' in front of the… pic.twitter.com/auGR2VJmjM
— ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2025
He hit back at the Congress for its controversial remarks against him and his mother leading up to the Bihar assembly elections later this year.
“I know their (Congress) entire ecosystem will say that Modi has started ‘crying’ again, but if I do not share my emotions with my God, the people here, with whom will I? These people are my remote control, I have no other remote control…”
The Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to Assam. Earlier on Saturday (September 13), he held a roadshow in Guwahati.
Attacking Jawaharlal Nehru, he said what India’s first PM told the northeastern people after the 1962 war with China has not been fulfilled.
“When we celebrate 100 years of independence, we must have transformed India into a ‘Viksit Bharat’,” he said.
