New Delhi [India], November 11 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi on Wednesday criticised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his description of Diwali as “Khushiyon Ki Eid”, saying that while the country was moving towards new heights of development, “politics appears to be sinking to new lows”.
Addressing a press conference, Trivedi questioned Kharge's choice of words, referring to his November 7 festive greeting in which he described Diwali as “Khushiyon Ki Eid”. He alleged that the remark reflected a disregard for India's religious and cultural traditions.
“Diwali has just passed, and today is the occasion of Bhai Dooj. While the country is moving towards new heights of development, politics appears to be sinking to new lows,” Trivedi said.
He also targeted Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his reported remarks describing India's economy as “dead”, claiming that gold and silver purchases on Dhanteras alone demonstrated the strength of the Indian economy.
Trivedi alleged that the opposition's comments reflected contempt for India's traditions, religion and culture. He further questioned Kharge's use of the word “Eid”, pointing out that the Congress president hails from Karnataka, where festivals are commonly referred to as “Utsav” or “Habba” in Kannada.
The BJP spokesperson also targeted the Congress over the appointment of a former Samajwadi Party MP as the party's Uttar Pradesh working president, referring to an earlier controversial remark attributed to the leader.
He also questioned an account reportedly given by Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in an interview, in which she recalled being moved to tears while watching the demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
Questioning the account, Trivedi said there was no live telecast of the demolition and asked how Sonia Gandhi could have witnessed the scenes.
Referring to Sonia Gandhi's tenure as chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC) during the UPA government, Trivedi alleged that she exercised authority despite not holding the office of Prime Minister.
“She gave up the post of Prime Minister and became a Super PM. You will not find such an example anywhere in the world, where someone gives up the post of Prime Minister but takes the rank of a Cabinet Minister. She became the Chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC), with the rank of a Cabinet Minister, and that too under the Office of Profit,” he said.
“I believe all these facts are before the people of the country, and everyone knows what the Super PM and Super Cabinet were during that period of governance,” he added.
“These three statements are not isolated incidents. They are clear evidence of what I describe as the Congress party's organised anti-India and anti-Hindu mindset,” he alleged.
Trivedi also responded to the Samajwadi Party's proposed show of strength in Ayodhya on December 12, saying the event would demonstrate the unity of Indian society and the BJP's ideological support base.
He accused the Samajwadi Party and Congress of either insulting Hindu religion and Indian culture or attempting to deceive people over them. He further alleged that opposition parties were focused on “radical minority appeasement”, while the BJP's policies centred on development.
The remarks come amid a political exchange between the BJP and Congress over Kharge's November 7 Diwali greeting. The BJP has accused the Congress of appeasement politics, while Congress MP Pawan Khera defended Kharge, arguing that Eid also means a festival or celebration. NCP-SP spokesperson Clyde Crasto, meanwhile, accused the BJP of politicising religious occasions. (ANI)
"Politics sinking to new lows": BJP’s Sudhanshu Trivedi questions Kharge’s "Khushiyon Ki Eid" remark
