Assam minister Jayanta Malla Baruah apologises for remark against journalist
Silchar: Assam minister Jayanta Malla Baruah on Sunday issued an apology for his controversial remark against a Guwahati-based journalist on Friday that had sparked widespread backlash. Assam minister Jayanta Malla Baruah's controversial remark against a Guwahati-based journalist on Friday had sparked widespread backlash. (@jayanta_malla)
Baruah, who handles the public health engineering department, took to social media to apologise, maintaining that his words were not meant to insult the media at large. 'Our family's association with the media are very old. My father worked as a correspondent for 22 years with Dainik Asom. From childhood, I have had deep respect for journalists,' he wrote.
'In a moment of frustration, I said something I should not have. While I meant it for one individual, I understand the entire journalist community felt hurt — and that pains me,' he added.
During a media interaction at the Gauhati Press Club on Friday, a journalist reportedly asked Baruah a question, to which he allegedly replied saying he will not speak to a 'tolor shrenir manush' (lower-class person) and will answer when 'his owner' asks a question.
This triggered outrage among media bodies, including the Media Association of Assam (MAA) and the Gauhati Press Club.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma apologised on Baruah's behalf on Saturday. 'No one has the right to insult them. I haven't heard what Jayanta Malla Baruah has said, but if he has said anything inappropriate, he should apologise. I will ask him to do so. And if anything wrong has happened, I apologise too,' Sarma said.
The Gauhati Press Club issued a statement calling Baruah's comment 'undignified and unacceptable' and urged journalists to boycott the minister until he issued a public apology. 'Questioning the credibility of a scribe and hurling insults is undignified. If ministers don't want to be questioned, they should avoid inviting the media,' Gauhati Press Club president Susmita Goswami said.
Baruah, however, alleged that a senior editor from the media group in question is trying to destroy his public image using the incident as a pretext. He urged people to watch the full video clip of the press conference to judge the interaction themselves.
Defending Baruah, cabinet minister Pijush Hazarika said that the term used by Baruah might have been a reference to the journalist's young age or experience, and not to his social background. 'He was referring to the age of the journalist, not their social standing,' Hazarika said.
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