Who is Imran Masood? Outrage as Congress MP compares Bhagat Singh to Hamas: 'Both fought for freedom'

Congress MP Imran Masood has courted controversy over his remarks, comparing freedom fighter Bhagat Singh to Gaza-based militant group Hamas. Social media users have slammed the Congress MP for insulting Bhagat Singh and praising terror groups.

Who is Imran Masood?

Imran Masood won the Lok Sabha elections from Sahranpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh in 2024. He was put under house arrest on October 1 over the 'I Love Muhammad' poster row while leading a party delegation to violence-hit Bareilly.

In a podcast, Masood is seen turning angry when told that Hamas is a terrorist organisation. He then asks, "Is Bhagat Singh a terrorist?"

The interviewer then asks whether he is actually comparing Hamas with Bhagat Singh. Masood then replies that both of them were fighting for their land.

"Bhagat Singh became a martyr for his land. For you, Hamas is a terror group. I believe Hamas is fighting for their freedom. You are looking at their 250 hostages... but not the one lakh people killed in Palestine," he said.

However, the podcast soon went viral, with netizens slamming the Congress MP for the comparison. BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Boti Boti Imran Masood compares Hamas to Bhagat Singh ji. This is an insult of all freedom fighters."

In the X post, he added, "Left & Congress eulogise terror groups and undermine all our heroes to make Gandhis look great. Earlier Kanhaiya Kumar compared Bhagat Singh ji to Lalu Yadav!"

He then went on to sayd that it was not the first time that the Congress insulted Bhagat Singh. "They did this with Chandrashekhar Azad ji, Savarkar ji, Patel ji, Birsa Munda ji."

"Comparing Hamas terrorists to Bhagat Singh ji is not just ignorance — it’s an unforgivable insult to India’s freedom struggle," wrote one X user, in reply to the post, while another asked, "Why are anchors expecting patriotism from a terrorist lover?"