Congress MP Imran Masood on Wednesday attempted to clarify his remark that “Diwali ho ya pradushan jo hai, manav janit rog hai” (whether it is Diwali or pollution, it is a human-induced disease), saying that the context of his statement was distorted and that what he meant was Diwali should not be singled out as the cause of pollution.

This comes a day after Masood’s remark triggered a political row with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the Congress leader of insulting Hindu religious beliefs, Sanatan Dharma, and India’s civilisational traditions.

Talking to media, Masood said: “I had responded specifically in the context of Diwali, saying that these people are mentally disturbed for using festivals as an excuse. The entire context of my statement was distorted.”

“I had clearly said that Diwali should not be singled out as the cause of pollution. Pollution is a human-made problem. It is caused by human activities, not by nature. That was the point I was making,” he added.

Further, Masood said that since the Air Quality Index (AQI) is “already poor” before the festival, the situation becomes much more severe in the days after the celebrations.

“Otherwise, is this the first time we are celebrating Diwali? We have been celebrating it for centuries. As far as I am concerned, I celebrate Diwali myself. So, being questioned on this issue his itself embarrassing for me,” the Congress MP said.

Earlier, while speaking to media, Masood had criticised the BJP for alleging that the Opposition was attempting to create an anti-Hindu narrative by linking the celebration of Diwali with pollution.

Responding to the controversy, the Congress MP had told media, “These (BJP) people are mentally disturbed. They only speak negatively. 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. Whether it is their government or ours, the government will not do much about these issues. People themselves need to become aware.”

The BJP strongly objected to the Congress MP’s remarks, accusing him of equating a major Hindu festival with a disease.

The BJP on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the opposition, particularly the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP), accusing them of insulting Hindu traditions, religion, and Indian culture for political gains.

The party also alleged that the opposition was resorting to minority appeasement and attempting to influence voters ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, party national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi criticised Congress leaders over their recent remarks related to Diwali and Hindu traditions.

He also raised questions over statements made by SP leaders concerning the Ram temple movement and the proposed visit of Akhilesh Yadav to Ayodhya.

Referring to Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s remarks describing the Indian economy as ‘dead’, Trivedi said, “On Dhanteras alone, this so-called dead economy demonstrated that it could purchase as much gold and silver in a single day as the entire of Europe buys in three months. Despite this, the remarks reflect the contempt and hatred that opposition leaders have for India’s traditions, religion and culture.”

Trivedi also targeted Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge over his use of the phrase ‘Khushiyon Ki Eid’ while referring to Diwali celebrations.

“And it did not stop there. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge turned it into ‘Khushiyon Ki Eid’. It is very surprising… This once again shows the extent to which Indian religion and culture can be insulted, as reflected in the conduct of the Opposition, particularly the Congress,” the BJP spokesperson said.

Drawing a comparison with greetings extended by international leaders, Trivedi said that even leaders of Muslim-majority countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia, had no hesitation in referring to the festival as Diwali while conveying their wishes.

Referring to Congress MP Imran Masood’s remarks, Trivedi alleged that the party had elevated a leader who had once made controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his time in the Samajwadi Party. “The Congress has not only welcomed him but also appointed him as its Uttar Pradesh Working President. He has now described it as a man-made disease,” Trivedi said.

The BJP spokesperson also referred to an alleged interview of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi that had surfaced, in which she reportedly said that she was “moved to tears” after the disputed structure in Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992.

“However, there was no live telecast on December 6, 1992. Nor was there any facility for satellite uplinking from a place like Ayodhya at the time. So, who had the kind of divine vision to show her those scenes and witness her tears?” Trivedi questioned.

Describing the remarks and incidents cited by him as evidence of the Congress’s ideological position, he said, “They are clear evidence of what I describe as the Congress party’s organised anti-India and anti-Hindu mindset.”

Trivedi also alleged that the Congress leaders were intended to influence political opinion ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections.

“Why are all these statements coming at this particular time?… Is the Congress willing to go to such lengths to insult Hinduism in its desperation to secure votes from hardline groups ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections?” he asked.

Taking aim at the Samajwadi Party, Trivedi said, “SP MP Sanatan Pandey has said that the firing was necessary to protect the Constitution. Mulayam Singh Yadav himself had said this. During the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in March 2017, while campaigning in the Lucknow Cantonment Assembly constituency, he said, ‘I had 16 Hindus killed. What more could I have done for Muslims?’ These are his exact words. He did not say that they died in the firing. He also said that he would not have regretted it even if 40 people had died.”

Reacting to the SP’s announcement of a show of strength in Ayodhya on December 12, Trivedi said, “The Samajwadi Party is saying that it will hold a show of strength in Ayodhya on December 12. We would like to say, with pleasure, that if you go there, it will be a show of strength of the unity of Indian society, as well as of the Bharatiya Janata Party and our ideology. It is this unity that has made you helpless and compelled you to go there,” he said.

Recalling the political slogan ‘Mile Mulayam-Kanshiram, hawa mein ud gaye Jai Shri Ram’ raised in Uttar Pradesh in the past, Trivedi said, “At that time, one of our leaders, Sadhvi, had said that the slogan was being raised because society had shown some weakness in its unity. The day you demonstrate complete unity, Mulayam and Kanshiram will also chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’.”

“I can say that the strength of that unity has now become visible. December 12 will be a demonstration of the strength of Indian society’s unity,” he said.

“If you demonstrate even greater unity in this election, these ‘election-time Hindus’ who have gone to seek darshan of Shri Ram Lalla this time will also start chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in the next election,” he added.

The BJP spokesperson said development remained central to the party’s policies, while accusing the Congress and the SP of relying on what he described as hardline minority appeasement.

“The Opposition’s policies are centred only on hardline minority appeasement. The Samajwadi Party and the Congress have only two approaches: either insulting Hinduism or deceiving Hindus in the name of religion; either insulting Indian culture or deceiving people in its name. Both are clearly visible,” he said.

Delhi Police apprehended five people for gambling at a premises in the Welcome area of northeast Delhi and recovered Rs 56,140 in cash and playing cards from their possession, officials said on Wednesday.

According to the police, the action was taken at around 4 a.m. on November 10 following a tip-off about gambling activities at a premises in the Welcome area. Acting on the information, a dedicated team led by Inspector Rupesh Kumar Khatri, Station House Officer (SHO) of Welcome Police Station, conducted a raid at the location.

The team comprised Inspector Gianender Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Rambir, Head Constable Arun, and Constables Vinod and Aman.

During the raid, five people were found gambling. The police apprehended them and recovered Rs 56,140 in cash along with playing cards from the spot.

A case was subsequently registered at Welcome Police Station vide FIR No. 663/2026, dated November 10, under Sections 12/09/55 of the Delhi Gambling Act. During verification, two of the apprehended accused were found to have previous involvement in similar gambling cases, police said.

The accused have been identified as Jamil (39), son of Shaida; Sumit Kumar alias Khare (30), son of Mukesh Kumar; Sagar (28), son of Sule Singh; Nitin (30), son of Ram Kumar; and Pawan Kumar (40), son of Ramesh Kumar. All five are residents of the Welcome area in Delhi.

While Jamil, Sagar and Pawan Kumar have no previous criminal involvement, Sumit Kumar and Nitin were found to have been involved in one similar case each, according to the police.

The recovered cash and playing cards have been seized as part of the investigation. Further investigation into the case is underway.

In a separate operation on November 10, Delhi Police’s South District Special Staff busted an alleged illegal gambling den in JJ Colony, Khanpur, and apprehended five people, including the alleged organiser, Rajesh alias Banti (42). The police recovered Rs 1,51,140 in stake money and 104 playing cards. A case was registered at Neb Sarai Police Station under the Delhi Public Gambling Act.

Earlier on November 10, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of South District Police had busted another alleged gambling operation in the Sangam Vihar area and apprehended 12 people. The police recovered Rs 1,03,500 in cash and 458 playing cards of different colours during the raid.

According to the police, the raid was conducted at a premises on Asthal Mandir Road following a tip-off about gambling activities.

The 12 accused included Manoj (38), Rajender alias Rinku (38), Hardesh Kumar (44), Kamlesh Gupta (55), Ramkesh (72), Santosh Kumar Gupta (50), Amit Gupta (31), Madhav Mangal (36), Vijay (43), Rajkumar (59), Rahul Rathore (31) and Jitender Singh (38), who hail from different localities in Delhi.