Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma found himself fighting off allegations of deploying artificial intelligence this week after his viral aerial video praising state highways triggered a fierce political backlash from the opposition.
On Tuesday, Sarma shared a slick, 26-second clip comparing Assam’s smooth road traffic to a Formula One track. Sharp-eyed social media users and rival politicians quickly ripped into the footage.
The glaring issue? Traffic appeared to be driving on the wrong side of the road, violating Indian traffic rules.
Congress spokesperson Reetam Singh seized the moment, mocking the BJP IT cell by reminding them that driving the wrong way down a National Highway carries a stiff ₹5,000 penalty. Critics amplified the attack by flooding social media with headlines highlighting Assam’s historical struggles with damaged, potholed transport networks.
Unfazed, Sarma doubled down. He reposted the clip with a blunt message: “Artificial Intelligence ❌ Assam Infrastructure ✅.”
His cabinet swiftly mobilized to defend the administration. Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika took a shot at Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Gaurav Gogoi, claiming their “negative IQ” prevented them from accepting Assam’s rapid transformation. To prove the road was real, Hazarika released ground-level footage from the recent Jana Ashirwad Yatra rally at the exact same location.
While the online battle raged, the state delivered undeniable physical infrastructure. On Tuesday, Guwahati officially opened the Maharaja Prithu Flyover—Assam’s longest yet.
Spanning from Bamunimaidam to Ambari, the four-lane project was completed in a record 28 months. During the inauguration, Sarma emphasized that this massive overpass, named after the 13th-century king who thwarted Bakhtiyar Khilji, will drastically cut commute times. The government is already plotting a new rotary at Guwahati Club to link the structure with the Ulubari flyover, signaling that real-world concrete remains the ultimate answer to digital controversies.