Diwali and Eid have been rejected as national holidays by the United Kingdom government, Press Trust of India reported.

Around 121,843 signatures were part of an online petition demanding for a day off by Britain's Hindu and Muslim communities to celebrate their festivals.

House of Commons Backbench Business Committee, responsible for scheduling debates on e-petitions that cross 1, 00,000, received the petition to review.

However, a decision on the issue by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has ruled out any further public or bank holidays in the UK.

"Whilst we appreciate a new national holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy remains considerable and any changes to the current arrangements would not take place without a full consultation," the statement said.

"We are aware of the importance of these festivals which are widely celebrated in the UK. The government is committed to bringing people together in strong, united communities. We encourage and support people to have shared aspirations, values and experiences," the statement added.

"Festivals such as Eid and Diwali contribute to this objective. We regret however that we cannot agree to create new bank or public holidays to mark these festivals," it said.

"The government regularly receives requests for additional bank and public holidays to celebrate a variety of occasions including religious festivals. However the current pattern is well established and accepted," it added.

The e-petition titled 'Make Eid & Diwali Public Holidays' on the UK government website has managed to spark widespread debate between Britons, Muslims and Hindus on online chat forums.

The idea, however, hasn't found much support from many religious and community leaders.

"I don't think it is a very good idea. How many festivals are there for other religions? Should they all be marked with a public holiday? The country would grind to a halt," Vinod Popat, chairman of The British Hindu Voice, said.

The petition, created by Jon Timmis, said, "Given the number of Muslims and Hindu's in this country it is only fair that we allow them to have the most important days in their faiths recognized in law. By giving them public or bank holidays for these days we would be going some way to help to recognize the importance of these faiths to many within the country."

A counter-petition titled 'Do Not Make Eid and Diwali Public Holidays' managed to receive only 35 signatures.