Kharge’s “Khushiyon Ki Eid” Diwali Remark Sparks BJP-Congress Row

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s description of Diwali as “khushiyon ka Eid” in his festival greeting over the weekend drew sharp criticism from the BJP on Monday, 9 November 2026, and a sharper reply from Congress. The BJP accused Kharge of insulting a Hindu festival, while Congress communications chief Pawan Khera said on X that the critics were “semantically ignorant”, according to a PTI report carried by The Tribune.

What the BJP Said

BJP national media co-incharge Pradeep Bhandari said Congress was practising vote-bank politics even on Diwali. Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia asked on X: “Mr Kharge, what exactly is the problem with calling Diwali, the biggest festival of Hindus, by its own name?” Tuhin Sinha said Muslims celebrate Eid twice a year, while Congress wanted to call every Hindu festival “Khushiyon ki Eid”. Other BJP leaders called Kharge a “mouthpiece” of Rahul Gandhi and dared the Congress leadership to call Eid a “Diwali of joy”, according to Deccan Herald and Telangana Today.

Congress Points to the Word Itself

Khera argued that “Eid” literally means “festival” and described the BJP’s reaction as “Sanghi negativity”. Congress has not said it would change or withdraw the greeting. These are statements by party spokespersons; no government body or election authority has commented.

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Where the Row Stands

Kharge is Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. For earlier reporting on the party and the INDIA bloc’s campaign over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, see IPB News’s Congress reports and in its analysis of SIR voter deletions.

Neither side has announced any formal step, such as a complaint or a notice, over the remark. PTI filed its report at 3:25 pm IST on Monday.

Source: Based on reporting by The Tribune (PTI), Deccan Herald and Telangana Today.

Image: PTI file photo via The Tribune.