Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi on Saturday issued an apology to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s ‘Hussain Obama’ remark.

Akhil Gogoi’s apology comes after CM Sarma’s statement ‘many Hussain Obama in India’ created controversy.

Akhil Gogoi posted a video on his official Twitter handle apologizing to PM Modi for CM Sarma’s remark.

In the video, Akhil Gogoi said, “I am ashamed that my Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma commented a communally perverted racist sentence on Barack Obama. I apologize on the chief minister’s behalf. He frequently comments such statements. Therefore, as a brother and a fellow MLA of the Assam assembly, I would like to apologize on behalf of him. Please forgive him for his weird remark.”

CM Sarma drew flak after he responded to a journalist’s tweet quoting former US President Barack Obama’s take on ‘safeguarding Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India’.

The journalist in a tweet asked, “Has an FIR been filed in Guwahati yet against Obama for hurting sentiment? Is Assam police on it’s way to Washington to get Obama offloaded from some flight and arrest him?”

To this, the chief minister replied, “There are many Hussain Obama in India itself. We should prioritize taking care of them before considering going to Washington. The Assam police will act accordingly to our own priorities.”

Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) President Lurinjyoti Gogoi also reacted to CM Sarma’s remarks saying, “We who care about #india’s image will surely applaud @narendramodi’s statement in #US about the constitution being supreme in #India. But a wannabe PM candidate from BJP shattering it all, by ridiculing an ex US president using his middle name. Will the @PMOIndia tolerate it?”