Diwali Crackers Are Over, Now Come the Political Ones

The noise of crackers has died down, and the war of words has begun over AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s statement that Diwali is a major festival celebrated by everyone in India, which he described as ‘khushiuon ka Eid.’

The big political question now is whether it was a deliberate statement or a slip of the tongue. Why did the AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge call Diwali a ‘khusiyon ka Eid ‘? The Congress party defends it as a secular statement made by a secular party chief, but the BJP came down heavily on Kharge and said that Congress had proved that it is an anti-Santani party. The BJP dared LoP Rahul Gandhi to call Eid a ‘Diwali of joy’.

Reacting to this, BJP’s national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said the Congress chose vote bank politics even on Diwali day.

He said, “Recall Sonia Gandhi crying for ‘Babri’. In the past when Sanatan was called ‘Dengue Malaria Aid’ the Congress was silent! Under Gandhi Vadra family Policy of Congress is Anti Sanatan, Anti Hindu,” Bhandari said.

Bhandari said the Congress thinks of appeasement and vote bank even on occasions like Diwali, and that shows the anti-Sanatani mindset of the Congress party.

The controversy did not end here. BJP’s national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia and many others came down heavily on Kharge. Bhatia in a post on X, wrote, “Mr Kharge, what exactly is the problem with calling Diwali, the biggest festival of Hindus, by its own name?” Bhatia said Eid has its own significance, and Diwali has its own sanctity, traditions and identity.

“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 said Muslims celebrate Eid only twice a year but the Congress party wants to celebrate every Hindu festival as “Khushiyon ki Eid.”

“So, Cong party effectively wants to celebrate Eid 10-12 times a year.Thats why this Cong party is MMC (Maowadi Muslim League Cong) as Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls it,” he added.