A single sentence from the Congress president ignited a sharp political flashpoint on Monday, November 9, 2026 — and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was not letting it pass quietly. Sarma publicly condemned the Congress chief's reported statement that 'Diwali khushiyon ki Eid hai' ('Diwali is the Eid of happiness'), calling it deeply unfortunate and an affront to both Hindu and Muslim communities.

What Sarma said — and why he said it sharply

In his post on X, the BJP leader did not mince words: 'The Congress president's statement that Diwali is the Eid of happiness is extremely unfortunate. Such narrow thinking from Congress hurts the sentiments of both communities. Festivals have their own distinct identity, which must be respected.'

The phrasing is deliberate. By arguing that both communities are hurt — not just one — Sarma positions the BJP's objection not as communal defensiveness but as a defence of cultural specificity itself. Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, and Eid, the Islamic festival marking the end of Ramadan, carry centuries of distinct theological, ritual, and cultural meaning. Collapsing one into the other, Sarma argued, cheapens both.

A pattern of BJP pushback on festival comparisons

This is not the first time BJP leaders have called out Congress statements that draw equivalences between Hindu and Muslim festivals. The pattern stretches back years: BJP spokespersons and state leaders have consistently framed such remarks as 'vote-bank optics' that instrumentalise religion rather than honour it.

Sarma, as convenor of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), wields outsized influence across the region's multi-faith electorate. His intervention on a cultural flashpoint carries political weight beyond Assam — it signals to allies and voters across the North-East that the BJP will contest any blurring of religious identities, however casually intended.

Congress yet to respond; the exchange is far from over

As of Monday evening, neither the Indian National Congress nor its president had issued a formal response to Sarma's broadside. Whether the remark was made in a spirit of inclusive outreach — suggesting Diwali brings the same communal joy as Eid — or as deliberate political signalling, the backlash has already given it a second, louder life.

The episode lands in a charged calendar moment: festival season in India is traditionally both a time of genuine celebration and a fiercely contested political arena. What one side calls 'bridge-building,' the other calls erasure — and that fault line never stays quiet for long.