‘How Can One Expect Better From Congress’: BJP Hits Back at Revanth Reddy Over Ram-Shiva Remarks

Reddy made the remarks while speaking at an event in New Delhi on Monday, where he questioned the BJP's frequent use of the slogan “Jai Shri Ram” and asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders did not similarly use “Har Har Mahadev”. His comments have since triggered a political row.

“We are Dravidians. Here (North India), people are Aryans. We are devotees of Shiva, while people here are devotees of Lord Ram. BJP stole Ram. It's an emotion; a sentiment,” Reddy said.

He further questioned the BJP's use of religious slogans, saying, “Why does Modi ji not say, ‘Har Har Mahadev’? Have you ever seen BJP people say ‘Har Har Mahadev’ on stage? They only say, ‘Jai Sri Ram’.”

Reddy also described Lord Shiva as the “God of the poor” and Lord Ram as the “God of the rich”, while stressing that both deities are revered.

The comments drew a sharp response from BJP leaders, who accused the Telangana Chief Minister of creating a political distinction between the two deities and between different regions of the country. BJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar has separately criticised Reddy's remarks, saying that political divisions should not be created between Lord Ram and Lord Shiva.

BJP National Spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo also questioned the Congress's earlier position on Lord Ram while attacking Reddy's comments.

“Just when one thinks Congress cannot stoop any lower, it does... How can they decide which God belongs to whom,” Shah Deo said, referring to the Congress's past legal position on the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute. He added that Congress should not “give anyone a certificate about their faith based on the region”.

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain also criticised the Telangana Chief Minister's remarks and questioned the relevance of drawing a North-South distinction in the context of religious devotion.

“What kind of remarks are these? Congress had once passed an affidavit calling Lord Ram ‘imaginary’. What is the point of North-South in this?” Hussain said.

BJP National Spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan also hit back at Reddy, citing figures associated with the Ramayana to challenge the idea of a regional divide in devotion to Lord Ram.

“Revanth Reddy does not know anything. Who was Shabari, who offered berries to Lord Ram? Who were the Kashyapas? I think he does not even know who Kevat was,” Paswan said.

BJP leader T.R. Sriniwas accused Reddy of reviving what he described as an “Aryan-Dravidian narrative” and argued that Lord Ram is revered across regions.

“Lord Shri Ram belonged to everyone and will continue to belong to everyone,” Sriniwas said, pointing to the traditional account of Ram's journey from Ayodhya and Chitrakoot through central and southern India to Rameswaram and onward to Lanka.

BJP leader Lanka Dinkar also criticised Reddy's comments, arguing that a chief minister should avoid drawing distinctions between Lord Ram and Lord Shiva on the basis of geography.

“If we observe the comments made by Congress leaders, from Rahul Gandhi to Revanth Reddy and B.K. Hariprasad, their ideological bankruptcy is clearly visible,” Dinkar said. He added that religious figures should not be used to create divisions between North and South India.

Reddy's comments have added another layer to the ongoing political debate over the use of religious symbolism and regional identity in Indian politics. The BJP's response has focused on rejecting the distinction drawn between Lord Ram and Lord Shiva and questioning the Congress's position on religious issues.