New Delhi, November 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress MP Imran Masood has triggered a political controversy with his remark linking Diwali and pollution to human-induced diseases, drawing sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused him of insulting Hindu religious beliefs and Sanatan Dharma.
Speaking to IANS, Masood criticised the BJP for alleging that the Opposition was trying to create an anti-Hindu narrative by linking Diwali celebrations with pollution. He said public awareness was needed to address pollution and questioned the role of governments in tackling the issue.
“Diwali ho ya pradushan jo hai, manav janit rog hai (Whether it is Diwali or pollution, these are human-induced diseases), and people need to become aware,” Masood said. He added that people themselves needed to become aware, irrespective of which party was in power.
The BJP strongly objected to the remark, accusing the Congress MP of equating a major Hindu festival with a disease. BJP national spokesperson Prem Shukla alleged that the statement reflected hostility towards Hindu traditions and religious practices.
“The way Congress leader Imran Masood has described Diwali as a disease proves that the Congress is severely afflicted by the disease of Islamophobia,” Shukla told IANS. He also accused the party of religious fanaticism and said the country needed to be freed from what he called the “disease called Congress”.
Another BJP national spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari, alleged that Masood’s remarks reflected the Congress party’s vote-bank politics and broader approach towards Hindu traditions.
“The people who are suffering from the disease of vote-bank politics, they cannot respect the Sanatan. The words are Imran Masood’s, but the thought process of vote bank politics is of the Gandhi-Vadra family,” Bhandari said.
He also referred to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s alleged linking of Diwali with Eid and accused the party of previously associating Hindus with violence and terrorism.
Bhandari further predicted that the Congress would lose the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, alleging that its vote-bank approach had hurt Hindu sentiments.
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