The Bharatiya Janata Party opened a ferocious political offensive against Mallikarjun Kharge on November 7, slamming the Congress president for describing Diwali as an "Eid of Happiness" during his public festive greetings.
Congress stood accused of brazen vote-bank politics. Saffron camp leaders argued the remarks deliberately insulted Hindu religious sentiments to court minority voters ahead of critical assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking to reporters while extending Diwali wishes, Kharge urged communal harmony across the country. "I extend my best wishes to everyone for Diwali. Many people celebrate it as it is an Eid of Happiness," Kharge said. He then appealed to citizens to bury mutual animosities: "It is essential to maintain peace in the nation. I urge those who may be in conflict or harbouring misunderstandings with one another to set these differences aside. Let us all work wholeheartedly to protect our country and foster national unity."
The backlash was instantaneous.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari branded the opposition party "anti-Hindu" and "anti-Sanatan," framing Kharge's terminology as part of a sustained institutional pattern. Bhandari pointed to past positions taken by top Congress brass, including their boycott of the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya and their silence when southern allies disparaged Sanatan Dharma.
Bhandari drew a direct line from Kharge’s statement to electoral calculation in northern India: "This is pure vote-bank politics ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections. Recall Sonia Gandhi crying for Babri; she also cried for Batla. This shows that Congress only wants appeasement politics. Even on Hindu festivals, Congress is trying to appease its vote bank."
BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan widened the offensive, calling the greeting a calculated slight against millions of practicing believers. Kesavan claimed the phrase betrayed deep-rooted contempt, recalling previous controversies surrounding party leaders' comments on the Maha Kumbh, Chhath Puja, and the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya.
The fiery rhetoric signals an intensifying ideological brawl between the two national parties as campaign machinery spins up for the next electoral cycle in Uttar Pradesh.