Giriraj Singh accuses Congress of mocking festivals, appeasement
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
India's festivals are sacred to millions — and Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh says the Congress party is turning them into a punchline. On Monday, 9 November 2026, the senior BJP leader and Lok Sabha MP from Begusarai, Bihar, fired a pointed broadside at the principal opposition, accusing it of having sunk so low politically that it now ridicules the country's own celebrations.
Posting on X, Singh wrote: 'Kaangres ka raajneetik star itna gir chuka hai ki desh ke tyoharon ka mazaak banaya ja raha hai.' — 'Congress's political level has fallen so low that the nation's festivals are being mocked.' He went further, arguing that while India has moved far ahead, the Congress mindset remains rooted in appeasement politics, and that the party has no regard for the dignity or self-respect of any community.
A decade-old BJP charge, sharpened for 2026
The 'appeasement politics' accusation is not new terrain for the BJP. Since 2014, the party has consistently framed its governance as a decisive break from what it portrays as Congress-era minority vote-bank politics. What gives Singh's post its bite is the festival angle — attaching the charge to cultural and religious celebrations rather than purely electoral arithmetic. That framing tends to resonate with a wide base and has been a recurring BJP rhetorical tool during culturally charged periods on the calendar.
Singh's formulation — that India has moved ahead while Congress is stuck — mirrors the broader BJP development-versus-appeasement contrast that the party's leadership has pressed for over a decade. Ministers and senior leaders have deployed variations of this argument on social media with increasing frequency, particularly in the run-up to and aftermath of state elections.
Congress yet to respond
At the time of publication, the Indian National Congress had not issued a public response to Singh's post. The party has historically countered such charges by accusing the BJP of polarising voters along religious lines and deflecting from economic concerns. Whether opposition spokespersons or Congress social-media handles will offer a rebuttal — and how sharp it will be — is the immediate political variable to watch.
What is clear is the signal Singh is sending: cultural dignity, not just development metrics, will remain a live BJP talking point. When a Union Minister frames a festival grievance in terms of national self-respect, the conversation is almost never just about festivals.