Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma on Wednesday claimed that 'politicising' musician Zubeen Garg's death backfired on Congress-led opposition in Assam polls as they were rejected by the people.
He visited Garg's cremation ground, 'Zubeen Khetra' at Kamarakuchi in Sonapur on the outskirts of Guwahati to pay tribute to the musician who died in Singapore on September 19 last year while swimming in the sea.
The 52-year-old singer had gone to the Southeast Asian nation to perform in the 4th edition of the festival.
Sarma stressed that there should be no politics in the name of Zubeen Garg.
"As promised, after the dust of the elections settled, I visited the site today purely as a tribute to someone who, for us, is evergreen. He was never a matter of politics, but an emotion that lives in every heart," the chief minister said.
He also claimed that politicising the unfortunate death of Garg backfired on the Congress-led opposition during the recently concluded Assembly elections.
"Some of them have stopped invoking his name as soon as polls got over, and those who came to his shrine had no knowledge of Zubeen when he was alive," the CM said.
"Zubeen was, is and will always remain my favourite! Today, at Zubeen Khetra, I paid my tributes to Assam's eternal heartthrob and reviewed the progress of the development work underway, an effort that will stand as a fitting tribute to his enduring legacy," Sarma told reporters.
The Congress and its allies had criticised the Assam government during election campaigns over the alleged delay in setting up the fast-track court in the Zubeen Garg death case.
Giving justice to Zubeen Garg within 100 days of government formation was a "guarantee" by the Congress, which criticised the BJP as no national party leader visited Zubeen Khetra.
During his visit on Wednesday, Sarma reviewed the ongoing development works at the Zubeen Khetra.
He said the initial phase of construction has begun, while steps have also been taken to safeguard the site from possible landslides.
Once the construction of the boundary wall is completed, the main development work of the Samadhi Khetra is expected to progress in a structured manner, the chief minister added.
(With inputs from PTI)