Bandi Sanjay Counters Revanth Reddy With ‘Family First, Nation First’ Remark

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Saturday hit back at Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy over his recent remarks on the “Gandhi Parivar” and “Sangh Parivar”, accusing the Congress of putting a political family ahead of national interests.

Responding on ‘X’ to Revanth Reddy’s comments made in Kerala on September 25, Sanjay said the Congress functioned on a “family first” principle, while the BJP and the Sangh Parivar were guided by a “nation first” approach.

Revanth Reddy, speaking at an event in Nilambur after receiving the Aryadan Muhammed-2026 Best Public Servant Award, had alleged that the Sangh Parivar posed a major threat to the country and democracy and was attempting to divide society along caste, religion, region and linguistic lines. He had also called for people to stand with the Gandhi family.

Sanjay accused the Chief Minister of asking people to make sacrifices for the Gandhi family, saying that no political family or surname could be placed above the country. “Your call is Parivar first, while our commitment is nation first,” he said.

Referring to the RSS prayer, Sanjay said a swayamsevak was taught from the beginning to dedicate himself to the country and the motherland. He cited the prayer as an example of the organisation’s stated commitment to the nation, national unity and security.

BJP Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao also criticised Revanth Reddy, alleging that the Chief Minister had crossed all limits in showing allegiance to the Gandhi family. He said the Chief Minister should remain committed to the people rather than a political family.

Rao further accused the Congress of giving priority to dynastic politics over national interests. He referred to the Emergency and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as examples of controversies associated with Congress rule.

He also criticised past governments over their response to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, India’s decision not to pursue permanent membership of the UN Security Council, and the country’s inclusion in the “Fragile Five” grouping. Rao said these issues reflected what he described as the Congress’s failure to adequately prioritise national interests.