Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge set off a fierce political skirmish on Diwali day after describing the festival of lights as an "Eid of happiness," triggering retaliatory barbs from the Bharatiya Janata Party that reached all the way to party leader Rahul Gandhi.
The backlash was immediate. Seizing on the phrasing, BJP leaders accused the Congress high command of running a calculated appeasement campaign even during Hindu religious celebrations. Vadodara MP and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president Dr Hemang Joshi escalated the offensive directly against Rahul Gandhi, invoking the infamous eighteenth-century general whose name remains synonymous with betrayal. "Kharge ji, you said that Diwali is Eid of happiness, so is Rahul Gandhi the Mir Jafar of the new India?" Joshi posted on social platform X.
The clash laid bare how swiftly festive protocol dissolves in contemporary Indian politics. Pradeep Bhandari, national spokesperson for the ruling party, condemned the address on social media, linking it to wider ideological fault lines. "Even on Diwali, Congress thinks of appeasement & vote bank!" Bhandari wrote, alleging that the opposition apparatus remains focused on sectarian vote consolidation.
Kharge delivered the contentious remarks while issuing a wider public appeal for communal peace and national integration. "Diwali is a major festival celebrated by everyone in India," Kharge said during his festive address. "It is a festival of happiness that brings people together and gives them an opportunity to meet their loved ones. Diwali khushiyon ka Eid hai."
He urged citizens locked in regional and community disputes to shelve their animosities. "I appeal to everyone to maintain peace in the country, particularly those fighting among themselves, and to put aside misunderstandings," Kharge added, urging citizens to protect the country's social fabric.
Yet the festive greetings carried a sharp partisan edge. Kharge pivoted from Diwali wishes to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly, pressing him to accept Rahul Gandhi's open challenge for a face-to-face policy debate. The Congress leadership has demanded public sparring over four contentious fronts: the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, irregularities surrounding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, systemic youth unemployment, and persistent retail inflation.
The Prime Minister has not responded to the debate demand. "However, that is their choice," Kharge said. "Our fight is against Modi, Shah and the BJP, not any other individual."
Both camps now head into winter political skirmishes with the Election Commission's voter roll updates under relentless opposition scrutiny, ensuring the war of words over Kharge's festive address will spill into upcoming assembly and parliamentary debates.