Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy sparked a row with remarks contrasting the religious and political identities of North and South India. The BJP lashed out at him, saying he was attempting to divide communities for political gains.
While addressing a conclave in Delhi on Monday, Reddy said that Congress is successful only in the southern states but has struggled in the north because the BJP has "stolen Lord Ram". He said that Lord Ram was revered in the north, while Lord Shiva is worshipped in the south.
"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 does Modi ji 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," Reddy alleged, a PTI report said.
He further said that "Shiva is the God of the poor, Ram is the God of the rich and the BJP is a party of the rich."
Reddy also raised concerns over the Lok Sabha delimitation exercise. There will be an agitation in the country against SIR similar to the 'Simon, go back' stir witnessed during the freedom movement, he said.
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.
Reddy also alleged that the SIR is aimed at "deleting votes and to benefit the BJP."
His religious remarks drew a sharp response from the BJP leader and Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who accused Reddy of creating political divisions between Lord Shiva and Lord Ram.
"CM Revanth Reddy, who says ‘Muslim is Congress, Congress is Muslim’ is now drawing political boundaries between Lord Ram & Lord Shiva," Kumar wrote on X.
"During elections, you took vows in the names of Gods to seek people’s vote. Now you are using the same Gods to divide the same people," he said.
