Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday, 26 September 2026 sharpened their attack on Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy after he framed India's political contest as a battle between the 'Sangh Parivar' and the 'Gandhi Parivar', with BJP leaders calling it an act of 'sheer mental bankruptcy' driven by 'sycophancy'.

What Revanth Reddy Said

CM Reddy made the remarks on Friday while accepting the prestigious Aryadan Muhammed award at Nilambur in Kerala. He claimed that the 'Gandhi Parivar' symbolises sacrifices made for the nation, while alleging that the 'Sangh Parivar' is fragmenting India along lines of religion, caste, region, and language. The remarks immediately drew fierce pushback from the BJP and VHP.

VHP's Sharp Rejoinder

VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal did not hold back, invoking a past statement attributed to Reddy during elections, in which the Telangana CM had reportedly said that 'Congress is Muslim and Muslim is Congress'. Bansal alleged that the Congress and its leadership share a mutually dependent political identity. He further accused Reddy of stooping 'so low in jihadi appeasement' that the party had begun comparing the RSS with what he termed 'anti-national organisations'. Bansal added that such remarks were unbecoming of a sitting Chief Minister.

BJP Calls It Peak Sycophancy

BJP MP Tarun Chugh labelled CM Reddy's remarks as an expression of 'sycophancy reaching its extreme peak'. He alleged that Reddy made the statement to appease his 'corrupt, frustrated masters' — a pointed reference to the Gandhi-Nehru family. Chugh argued that comparing the Gandhi-Nehru family, whose 'policies led to policy paralysis in India' and whom he alleged were 'killers of the Sikhs', with the RSS — an organisation he described as a body of 'devoted patriots' — amounted to 'sheer mental bankruptcy'.

BJP Spokesperson Joins the Attack on X

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also weighed in, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that Congress had 'openly admitted' its real objective is to restore the 'Gandhi-Vadra family' to power. In his post, Bhandari wrote: 'Congress has now openly admitted that, for them, the fight is to get the Gandhi family in power. The truth is out in the open. This has nothing to do with Vote Chori, the Election Commission, the Constitution, or democracy. The Congress party's real objective is to bring the Gandhi-Vadra family back to power. For Congress, Parivarwad first, & Parivarwad only.' This comes amid an already heightened national political temperature, with the BJP consistently targeting Congress over what it calls dynastic politics.

Broader Political Context

The exchange is part of a recurring pattern of BJP-Congress sparring over the role of the Gandhi family in Indian public life. Notably, CM Reddy's comments were made in Kerala — a state where Congress-led opposition is especially politically sensitive — amplifying their national reach. The BJP has long sought to paint Congress as an organisation subservient to one family, and remarks such as those from Reddy are likely to be amplified in the party's campaign messaging ahead of any upcoming state elections. The Congress is yet to issue a formal response to the BJP and VHP counterattack.