Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday shared a video message wishing people Merry Christmas, saying the festival reflected values of love, compassion and harmony. The post, shared on social media, quickly drew widespread attention, not just for the greeting itself, but for the reactions it triggered online. While some users welcomed the message, many others questioned Gandhi’s choice to post a video for Christmas, pointing out that he has not shared similar video greetings during major Hindu festivals in the past.
Christmas Greeting Sparks Online Pushback
Soon after the video was posted, social media platforms saw a flood of comments from users questioning what they described as selective public messaging. Several users contrasted the Christmas video with the absence of similar posts during festivals such as Diwali, Dussehra, Holi and Raksha Bandhan.
“This is how he wishes the majority population of India, while he shoots and posts a video during Christmas,” one user wrote. Another commented in Hindi, “Waah bhai, kabhi Dipawali Dussehra par bhi aisi video post karta.”
Some reactions were sarcastic in tone. “Just Rahul Gandhi things: Hindu festival ❌ Christmas ✅,” read one widely shared comment. Another user remarked, “Aaj to iska festival hai to video bana di… warna Janeudhari ne kabhi Diwali pe aise wish nahin kiya.”
Others attempted to highlight what they called a pattern, listing the absence of videos for other festivals. “No Diwali videos with firecrackers. No Holi videos with colours. No Raksha Bandhan videos with rakhi. But on Christmas, he makes sure to share celebration videos with a Christmas tree,” one post read.
Festival Messages & Political Scrutiny
Supporters of the Congress leader responded by arguing that festival greetings should not be politicised and that posting a message for one occasion does not amount to disrespecting others. They said political leaders are often selectively targeted on social media, where posts are frequently taken out of broader context.