Assam Health Minister issues unconditional apology for 'Cancer is divine justice' remark

Pointing out that he had lost his father and best friends to Cancer, Himanta Biswa Sarma said his intentions were not to hurt sentiments of patients and that his words were taken out of context.

Photo courtesy: Twitter/@himantabiswa

New Delhi: Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma issued an 'unconditional apology' on Thursday after his controversial remarks about Cancer being divine justice. 

Sarma faced immense backlash after a video surfaced in which he said that Cancer is a result of past sins and that it is divine justice. The BJP leader however clarified on Thursday that his remarks were taken out of context. "My speech on divine justice and Karmic deficiency is being quoted out of context. In their bid to trivialize and sensationalise, no one is looking at content of my whole speech and intent," he said in a statement, pointing fingers at a section of the media and members of the Congress party in Assam. "It was said in the context of helping poor students of Government schools and request to teachers not to neglect them. It was also a message to indicate district education officers not to harass teachers"

I am pained at the unpleasant controversy created by people wanting to derive political mileage out of it. I tender my apology to all #cancer patients and their families who may have been hurt by this. I am also issuing this statement to clear & reiterate my stand. pic.twitter.com/O19AA5d4HA — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 23, 2017

Sarma, however, did apologise to those who may have been hurt by his words. "At no point, my statement was intended to cause any pain to cancer patients. However, if owing to the blatant distortions, it has caused any anxiety and problems to anyone, I hereby offer my unconditional apology for the pain," he said.

The politician also said that he had lost his father and best friends to Cancer, and was doing his best to contain the life-threatening disease in the state.