NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma issued an apology after his now-deleted post on social media platform X sparked accusations of promoting caste division from various opposition leaders.
In the post, Sarma claimed that according to the Gita, it is the duty of the Shudras to serve the other three castes—Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas.
This sparked a massive row, with opposition leaders denouncing what they called the “BJP’s manuvadi ideology,” and Owaisi specifically criticizing Hindutva for being contrary to principles of liberty, equality, fraternity and justice.
Facing mounting criticism, Himanta Biswa Sarma issued an apology on Thursday, acknowledging the mistake in translation. He clarified that the post was based on an incorrect translation of a sloka from the Bhagavad Gita.

Sarma promptly deleted the post as he realized the error and emphasized that the state of Assam reflects a casteless society, attributing it to the reform movement led by Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva.
In his statement, the Assam chief minister explained that he follows a routine of uploading one sloka from the Bhagavad Gita every morning on his social media handles. He expressed regret for any offense caused by the deleted post and extended a sincere apology to those who may have been affected.