Assam chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Himanta Biswa Sarma found himself struggling to maintain his cool on Saturday when long traffic was seen in Nagaon during his visit in the area. He reprimanded the deputy commissioner (DC) of the region for the situation and later said that “VIP culture” is unacceptable in “today's Assam.”
In a video shared by news agency ANI, Sarma could be seen infuriated with the traffic as he calls for the DC of the Nagaon region.
"Arrey DC sahab yeh kya natak hain. Kyun gadi ruka hain? Koi raja, maharaja aaraha hain kya? (What is this drama? Why are the cars stuck in traffic? Is a king or emperor coming for a visit?)," he asked the deputy commissioner.
Sarma further told the government official that this should not be repeated in the future.
The incident took place near Gumothagaon on the National Highway 37.
{{/usCountry}}The incident took place near Gumothagaon on the National Highway 37.
{{/usCountry}}The chief minister was in Nagaon earlier in the day to offer his prayers at the Maha Mrityunjay Temple on the first day of Magh - considered to be the eleventh month of the Hindu calendar.
Taking to Twitter, he shared pictures of him offering prayers at the temple. He also shared pictures of him inaugurating the “construction work of the road” linking Gumutha Gaon and Maha Mrityunjay Temple with NH 37.
Sarma later said he reprimanded the officials concerned “for halting traffic” for him, “despite clear direction” not to cause “inconvenience for people” during his visit in Nagaon.
“For over 15 minutes, NH was blocked including ambulances. This VIP culture is not acceptable in today’s Assam,” Sarma added.