Speaking to reporters, Kharge extended his Deepavali greetings and said in Hindi: "Deepavali ki shubhkamnayein sabhi ko main deta hoon. Ye ek bahut bada tyohar hamare Hindustan mein sabhi log manate hain aur iska ek hi karan hai ki khushiyon ka ek Eid hai aur bahut din lambe samay tak chalne wala Eid yahi hai."

Loosely translated into English, he said: "I extend my Deepavali greetings to everyone. It is a major festival celebrated by people across India, and the reason is simple: it is an Eid of happiness and one that lasts for a long time."

BJP targets Congress over Kharge's remark

The BJP hit out at the Congress over Kharge's description of Diwali, accusing the principal opposition party of pursuing vote-bank politics and being anti-Hindu.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari criticised the Congress president in a post on X.

"Even on Diwali, Congress chose vote bank politics! Congress President called Deepawali as 'Eid of Happiness'. Recall Sonia Gandhi crying for 'Babri'," Bhandari wrote.

"In the past, when Sanatan was called 'Dengue Malaria Aid', Congress was silent! Under the Gandhi-Vadra family's policy, Congress is anti-Sanatan, anti-Hindu!" he added.

Kharge's earlier Maha Kumbh controversy

This is not the first time Kharge has faced criticism over remarks concerning Hindu religious events.

Last year, the Congress president courted controversy after questioning BJP leaders' participation in the Maha Kumbh.

Addressing a rally in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, he asked whether taking a dip in the Ganga would eradicate poverty or make people happy and ensure the country's progress.

He accused BJP leaders of competing to take holy dips for television cameras while issues such as hunger, unemployment and poverty remained unresolved.

However, Kharge clarified that he did not intend to hurt anyone's religious sentiments and apologised if his remarks had offended anyone.