Congress MP compares Bhagat Singh with Hamas, backtracks after BJP attacks him

Congress MP Imran Masood on Friday stoked a controversy by comparing Bhagat Singh with Hamas, as BJP accused him of “insulting” the people of Bihar, with whom Bhagat Singh had a “deep connection”.

However, after BJP’s attack, Masood later backtracked, claiming he never drew any comparison and said that Bhagat Singh was ‘Shaheed-e-Azam’ and cannot be compared to anyone.

BJP leader and its IT department head Amit Malviya accused Masood of drawing the comparison between Bhagat Singh and Hamas as part of a well-planned strategy during the Bihar Assembly election, which will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11.

In an interview shared by Malviya on his X handle, Masood compared Bhagat Singh with Hamas, saying both were the same as they were fighting for their land.

“Comparing Bhagat Singh to the terrorist organisation Hamas by Congress MP Imran Masood during the Bihar election is part of a well-planned strategy. This is an insult to the people of Bihar. Bhagat Singh had a deep connection with Bihar,” Malviya alleged in a post on X.

He claimed that in the incident of throwing a bomb in Central Assembly, his companion Batukeshwar Dutt was from Bihar. Similarly, revolutionaries like Yogendra Shukla from Vaishali were also imprisoned with him and carried forward his ideas, he said.

“Bhagat Singh’s revolutionary ideas inspired countless youths in Bihar — from student movements to leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, who carried forward the torch of rebellion. Bihar may not have been the land of Bhagat Singh’s actions, but it has certainly been the birthplace of his ideas,” Malviya said.

“Rahul Gandhi should clarify whether Imran Masood will apologise for this audacity, or will Muslim appeasement once again dominate politics?” he asked.

Masood later said, “Bhagat Singh cannot be compared with Hamas; no one can be, as the two are not the same. Bhagat Singh can never be compared to anyone. No one is comparable. This is wrong. I have clearly said that if a person kills another person, it is not a good thing. We do not support violence.

“BJP tries to raise issues like this and not issues concerning people and the country and try to put words into the mouth of others. BJP is selectively spreading this falsehood... I only said that Hamas is fighting for their land, just as Bhagat Singh fought for ours...”

“I have never compared anyone and certainly not Bhagat Singh. Bhagat Singh is ‘Shaheed-e-Azam’ and he cannot be compared to anyone. His ideology is different,” he later claimed.