NEW DELHI: The Congress and the BJP traded barbs over AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge‘s description of Diwali as “khushiyon ka Eid”, with the opposition party accusing the ruling party of deliberately misinterpreting his festive greeting.The row began after Kharge used the phrase while wishing people on Diwali over the weekend. The BJP objected to the comparison, arguing that Diwali should be referred to by its own name and accusing the Congress of being anti-Sanatani.BJP national media co-in-charge and spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that the Congress had brought vote-bank politics into Diwali celebrations by describing the festival as an “Eid of Happiness”.
Congress hits back at BJP
Responding to the criticism, Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the BJP leaders had misunderstood the meaning of the word Eid.“Those making a big deal out of Kharge ji’s statement are semantically ignorant,” Khera said as per news agency PTI.“The word ‘Eid’ literally means ‘festival’. Now go and listen to his statement again. It is perfectly normal — unlike the Sanghi negativity that makes some people incapable of sparing even a festival,” Khera said on X.He also launched a sharp attack on those criticising Kharge, urging them to understand the meaning of the phrase rather than turn it into a controversy.“In the spirit of Diwali and for the love of God, please light a bulb or two in your brain as well, and spare the rest of us the public display of your stupidity. Jaahil kahin ke (they are illiterates),” Khera added.
BJP questions comparison with Eid
BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia questioned why Kharge had compared Diwali, which he described as the biggest festival of Hindus, with Eid.“Mr Kharge, what exactly is the problem with calling Diwali, the biggest festival of Hindus, by its own name?”Bhatia said Eid and Diwali each had their own religious significance and distinct traditions. He also challenged Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to explain whether they would describe Eid as the “Diwali of joy”.
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“Has changing the identity of Hindu festivals become a matter of political etiquette in Congress’s so-called secularism? Rahul Gandhi and Mr Kharge, answer this: will you ever have the courage to call Eid the “Diwali of joy,” he asked.“Respect Hindus’ faith; don’t change the identity of their festivals. Diwali was, Diwali is, and Diwali will remain Diwali,” Bhatia said.Another BJP spokesperson, Tuhin Sinha, also criticised the Congress, saying Muslims celebrate Eid twice a year while the party wanted to describe every Hindu festival as “Khushiyon ki Eid”.
