New Delhi, Nov 11 — 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 IANS, 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 IANS, 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 IANS, "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.