Assam Health Minister Himanta holds 'sins' responsible for cancer, Chidambaram mocks

Taking a dig at Himanta, who jumped from the Congress to the BJP in 2015, former Union Finance Minister Chidambaram tweeted: "Cancer is divine justice for sins' says Assam Minister Sharma. That is what switching parties does to a person."

The former Congress man took to Twitter to revert back to Chidambaram saying: "Sir, please do not distort. Simply I said that Hinduism believe in karmic law and human sufferings are linked to karmic deficiency of past life.Don’t you belief that too?Of course in your party I do not know whether Hindu philosophy can be discussed at all."

Himanta, who is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said: "God makes us suffer when we sin. Sometimes we come across young men getting inflicted with cancer or young men meeting with accidents. If you observe their background you will come to know that it's divine justice. Nothing else. We have to suffer that divine justice.

"In this lifetime or in our previous life, or perhaps my father or mother... perhaps that young man did not do anything, but his father has done something wrong... no one can escape divine justice.," Himanta was quoted by media.

The Assam Health Minister continued to defend his own statement in a series of tweets.

Replying to several tweets, Himanta even urged his critics not to "belittle Hindu philosophy". "Do not belittle Hindu philosophy in such simplistic way. If you call me anytime to your studio,I will argue with you that karmic law do exist. You can not written of teachings of Bhagavadgita by using the word pumpkin of the day etc."

The minister even tried too hard to convince that his speech was distorted as he intended to "motivate teachers".

"Go through my speech. I never said that sin cause cancer.it was a speech to motivate teacher.serve poor or otherwise you may face karmic deficiency and suffer in next http://life.science  can not promote human value.religion might.good night.," Himanta said in one of his latest tweets.

The 48-year old Assam minister served the Congress party from 2001 to 2015 before he switched to the saffron party.

After the BJP came to power in the state in 2016, Himanta assumed the portfolio of the health ministry.

Image: twitter.com/himantabiswa