‘BJP Stole Lord Ram’: Revanth Reddy’s Ram-Shiva Remark Sparks BJP Attack Over North-South Divide

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has triggered a fresh political controversy with remarks contrasting the BJP’s use of the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan with the “Har Har Mahadev” chant, while also drawing a distinction between the political and cultural identities of north and south India. The BJP has hit back, accusing the Congress leader of creating divisions around religious identities. Reddy made the remarks while speaking at a media event in New Delhi on Monday. 

Reddy’s Ram-Shiva Contrast

Questioning the BJP’s frequent use of “Jai Shri Ram”, Reddy asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders did not similarly use “Har Har Mahadev”. “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, as per reports on PTI.

He further described Lord Shiva as the “God of the poor” and Lord Ram as the “God of the rich”, while saying that people worship both deities.

The Telangana chief minister used the religious comparison while speaking about what he described as wider political and cultural differences between northern and southern India. 

ALSO READ: Anthropic IPO Filing Flags ‘Existential Risks’ From AI Models, Warns Of Threat To Humanity

Delimitation Concerns Raised

Reddy also brought up the proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies. He argued that a larger role for population figures in deciding parliamentary representation could alter the political weight of southern states.

The issue has emerged as a point of concern among several southern political parties, which have argued that states that have made progress in population control should not see their representation reduced or their political influence diluted.

During his address, Reddy also spoke about his government’s focus on education and referred to initiatives including the Young India Skills University.

BJP Challenges Reddy

BJP leader and Union Minister of State Bandi Sanjay Kumar responded sharply to the chief minister’s remarks, accusing him of creating a political divide between Lord Ram and Lord Shiva. Sanjay Kumar cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s association with Varanasi and the Kashi Vishwanath Temple as a counterpoint to Reddy’s suggestion that BJP leaders do not invoke Lord Shiva.

He also referred to Modi’s visit to Vemulawada and highlighted the religious significance of the Telangana temple town.

“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.

The BJP leader also took aim at Reddy over earlier political remarks and accused him of attempting to create divisions for electoral purposes.

Sanjay Kumar further referred to the Centre’s leadership and said key portfolios, including Defence, Home and Commerce, are held by leaders from the north.

ALSO READ: Trump Asked Xi If China Wanted To Buy US Weapons Amid Taiwan Arms Sale Row: Envoy

SIR Row Adds To Clash

The political exchange also came against the backdrop of Reddy’s broader criticism of the Centre and the Election Commission.

The Telangana chief minister has separately called for a nationwide “SIR Go Back” campaign against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, comparing it with the “Simon Go Back” agitation from the freedom struggle.

Sanjay Kumar, meanwhile, criticised Reddy’s position on the revision exercise, alleging that it was intended to benefit the BJP.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com