No Congress leader visited Assam after Bhupen da’s death? Himanta’s false claim contradicts his own Facebook post

Commenting on Rahul Gandhi’s Assam visit to pay homage to late singer Zubeen Garg and meet his family, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at a press conference on October 16 pointed out that the Congress MP was visiting the state 28 days after the singer’s passing. He also stated, “… No one came at all during Bhupen Hazarika’s time, This time, for Zubeen, Rahul Gandhi is coming on the 28th day, and I welcome him.” He called it an ‘improvement’.

Guwahati, Assam: On LoP Rahul Gandhi’s state visit, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says, “After 28 days, Rahul Gandhi is finally coming… During Bhupen Hazarika’s time, no one from Congress showed up. Still, this time, for Zubeen, Rahul Gandhi is coming on the 28th day, and I welcome… pic.twitter.com/7F6VoqjqI4

— IANS (@ians_india) October 16, 2025

Did No One from Congress Visit Assam after Bhupen Hazarika’s Death?

Sarma’s claim of ‘no one from Congress showing up’ after the passing of legendary Assamese singer Bhupen Hazarika is false. This can be established by going through Sarma’s own Facebook timeline.  On November 10, 2011, he posted an image of Rahul Gandhi, who was the then general secretary of the Indian National Congress, paying his respects at the late singer’s Nizarapaar residence.

According to a Hindustan Times report from November 9, 2011, four days after Hazarika’s passing, Gandhi met his son Tej Hazarika in Guwahati to offer his condolences. Bhupen Hazarika was cremated the same day. Gandhi was reportedly visiting northeastern states at the time. He flew down to Guwahati to meet the family members of Bhupen Hazarika and spent an hour at their ancestral house.

A Facebook page named ‘A tribute to Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’ posted a photo of Rahul Gandhi with the singer’s son on November 10, 2011.

At the time, Assam chief minister and Congress leader Tarun Gogoi had also visited Hazarika’s Nizarapar residence to convey his condolences to the bereaved family personally. He paid his respects to the late singer by placing a wreath on the glass-covered mortal remains of Bhupen Hazarika. He also laid wreaths on behalf of the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.