Ramachander Rao Accuses Revanth of Using Religion for Vote-Bank Politics

Telangana BJP president N. Ramachander Rao has strongly criticised Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy over his remarks on Hindu deities, describing them as objectionable and condemnable. He accused the Chief Minister of encouraging North-South divisions and vote-bank politics and called on BJP workers to launch protests across Telangana against the remarks.

Revanth Reddy made the comments while participating in an interactive programme organised by a media organisation in New Delhi on September 28. During the programme, he said the Congress had largely succeeded in southern states but faced difficulties in northern India due to the BJP's political dominance. He alleged that the BJP had used Lord Ram for political purposes in the North, while pointing out that Lord Shiva was widely worshipped in southern India.

The Chief Minister also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's frequent use of the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan, asking why he did not use ‘Har Har Mahadev’ in a similar manner. Revanth further described Shiva as the deity associated with the poor and Ram with the wealthy, while alleging that the BJP represented the interests of the rich.

Reacting to the remarks, Ramachander Rao said a person holding a constitutional office should exercise greater restraint while speaking about religious figures. He alleged that Revanth Reddy was following the line adopted by Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, whom he accused of having little regard for Hindu traditions.

The BJP president argued that Hinduism does not draw a distinction between Lord Ram and Lord Shiva, adding that Hindus traditionally worship multiple deities and respect different religious customs and communities. He accused the Chief Minister of attempting to create divisions within Hindu society by portraying the two deities as representing different social groups.

Ramachander Rao also referred to remarks he attributed to Revanth Reddy in the past, alleging that the Chief Minister had sought to associate the Congress with Muslims while attempting to consolidate their support and divide Hindu voters.

He further alleged that Revanth had previously made remarks concerning local deities, toddy and non-vegetarian food that were disrespectful to Hindu beliefs. Ramachander Rao also accused him of adopting an “anti-Hindu” position and alleged that the Chief Minister had referred to himself as “Revanthuddin”.

Accusing the Congress of pursuing divisive politics, Ramachander Rao said such statements could undermine social and religious harmony. He demanded an apology from Revanth Reddy to Hindus worldwide and urged BJP workers to burn effigies of the Chief Minister at the mandal level across Telangana in protest.