New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s Diwali greeting, in which he described the festival as the “Eid of happiness,” has triggered a sharp political controversy and gone viral on social media.
While extending festive wishes to the nation, the AICC chief told reporters that Deepawali is a festival of happiness and an “Eid of joy.” He called the festival of lights a celebration of peace, harmony and national brotherhood, stressing that festivals of all communities bring people together.
Kharge urged citizens to use the festive period to strengthen unity and remove social divisions.
The choice of the word “Eid” to describe the traditional Hindu festival quickly drew mixed reactions. Congress leaders and supporters defended the statement, saying Kharge intended to promote communal harmony and mutual respect.
They argued that “Eid” was used in its broader sense of a joyous celebration and was meant as a metaphorical call for national unity across cultures.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, launched a strong attack on the remark. BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari and other party leaders condemned the statement as a classic example of “appeasement and vote-bank politics.”
He accused the Congress leadership of being “anti-Sanatan” for deliberately linking a Hindu festival with an Islamic one under a single term.
Hemang Joshi, Member of Parliament from Vadodara and national president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, also reacted sharply to Kharge’s comments, joining the ruling party’s chorus of criticism.
He said, “Kharge-ji, you said that Diwali is an ‘Eid of joy’, so is Rahul Gandhi the Mir Jafar of ‘New India’?”
The controversy has once again highlighted the deep political fault lines that often surface during major festivals. While the Congress maintains that its president was only emphasising shared happiness and social cohesion, the BJP has portrayed the remark as an attempt to dilute Deepawali’s distinct cultural identity.
As the debate continues on social media and in political circles, Kharge’s unusual greeting has become one of the most discussed statements of this Deepawali season.
AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan also took a sharp swipe at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over his recent remarks linking Diwali and Eid, terming them a political tactic aimed at electoral gains.
“Diwali is a grand festival celebrated with immense enthusiasm by our Hindu brothers, and Eid is equally a celebration shared by all,” Pathan said.
“Statements equating the two festivals are nothing more than a political stunt to appease a specific voting community,” he said.
Pathan added that voters have become increasingly discerning and asserted that the electorate would deliver a fitting response in the upcoming elections.
