Nagaland Higher Education & Tribal Affairs Minister Temjen Imna Along has become an overnight internet sensation, courtesy his sense of humour. Now, the BJP minister is going viral once again for thwarting ingrained racism, one joke at a time. Sharing his experience of coming to New Delhi for the first time in 1999, Along quipped he was surprised to see more people at the railway station than the entire population of his state, leaving the crowd in splits. "Purani Dilli railway station jab uthra, toh humare Nagaland pradesh se bhi zyada abadi dekha. Hum toh wohi chokh gaya (When I got down at Old Delhi railway station I saw more people than Nagaland's entire population. I was shocked)," he is heard saying from the podium. He also told the crowd that people even asked him "where is Nagaland" and if people require a visa to visit there. Known for a penchant for sarcasm and the ability to laugh at himself, he continues: "Koi log yeh fayla diya ki Naga log aadmi khata hai, woh khata hai.aur humko dekhke toh aur zyada shak hone laga (Some people have spread the rumour that Naga people eat humans, and looking at me, people grew even more suspicious)." Although he threw in the racist remark with a straight face, people in the audience were heard bursting out in laughter. "Dikhne mein alag, khan-paan mein alag, soch bichar mein alag. ussi tarah hum log 50 se 60 saal reh ke aye hai (We look different, eat different, think differently but still have lived together for 50-60 years)," the video ends with the minister saying. 1999 की और एक बातें. pic.twitter.com/BZnk4lF3uZ — Temjen Imna Along (@AlongImna) July 13, 2022 With over a million views on Twitter, the video got many claiming to have become his fan. However, this is not the first time the minister has gone viral for his sassy takes. Earlier, a video of him countering the stereotyping of Northeast people with "small eyes" won the internet. A video of him jokingly saying that their eyes may be small but they have sharp eyesight earned plaudits online. He also quipped about the benefits of having "small eyes" during a public address as he could take a power nap without getting caught. My brother @AlongImna is in full form — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 8, 2022 He also garnered a lot of attention online when he found out that people were taking to Google to find out whether he has a wife. Declaring that he is single, his posts got even Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Shaadi.com's founder Anupam Mittal joining the conversation on Twitter.
