Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has ignited a political and religious debate by claiming the BJP "stole Lord Ram" and contrasting northern and southern religious sentiments, drawing sharp criticism from a Union Minister.
Key Points
- Telangana CM Revanth Reddy attributed Congress's northern struggles to BJP's appropriation of Lord Ram, contrasting it with Lord Shiva's reverence in the south.
- Reddy labelled Lord Shiva as the "God of the poor" and Lord Ram as the "God of the rich," associating BJP with the wealthy.
- He called for a "SIR, go back" agitation, similar to the 'Simon, go back' movement, alleging it targets vote deletion to benefit the BJP.
- Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar condemned Reddy's remarks, accusing him of dividing religious figures for political gain.
- Sanjay Kumar highlighted Telangana's spiritual significance with Dakshina Kashi and Dakshina Ayodhya, urging Reddy to avoid religious divisions.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has claimed that the Congress is successful only in the southern states but has struggled in the north because the BJP has "stolen Lord Ram", who is revered in the north, while Lord Shiva is worshipped in the south.
CM Reddy's Religious Remarks
Addressing a conclave organised by a media organisation in Delhi on Monday, Reddy also said that there will be an agitation in the country against SIR similar to the 'Simon, go back' stir witnessed during the freedom movement.
"We are Dravidians. People here (north) are Aryans. We are devotees of Shiva. These are devotees of Lord Ram. BJP stole Ram. It's an emotion. It's a sentiment. Why Modi ji does not say Har Har Mahadev. Have BJP people ever said Har Har Mahadev on a stage. They say only Jai Sri Ram. When we say Har Har Mahadev, they don't like it," he alleged.
Shiva is the God of the poor, Ram is the God of the rich and the BJP is a party of the rich, Reddy further claimed.
He was asked why Congress is popular in south but not in the north, east and western parts of the country.
"SIR, Go Back" Agitation and BJP Criticism
He said, similar to 'Simon go back', leaders of opposition parties, including Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray and MK Stalin, will have to unite to carry out a 'SIR, go back' struggle.
The SIR is aimed at "deleting votes and to benefit the BJP," he alleged and lashed out at the Saffron party saying key portfolios at the Centre, including Defence, Home and Commerce, are held by "leaders from the north."
Reddy also spoke about his government's focus on education sector, including the Young India Skills University.
Union Minister Slams Reddy's Comments
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State Bandi Sanjay Kumar slammed Revanth Reddy for his remarks.
Sanjay Kumar, in a post on X, said Revanth Reddy who earlier said 'Muslim is Congress, Congress is Muslim' is now drawing political boundaries between Lord Ram and Lord Shiva.
"Being the CM of Telangana that has Dakshina Kashi at Vemulawada and Dakshina Ayodhya at Bhadrachalam, Revanth Reddy should know better than to divide Lord Rama and Lord Shiva into North and South," he said.
PM Modi represents Varanasi in Lok Sabha and Kashi Vishwanath is at the spiritual heart of Varanasi, he said.
