The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, 30 September launched a sharp counterattack against Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy over his remarks distinguishing devotees of Lord Ram and Lord Shiva along regional lines, with the party alleging that the Indian National Congress (Congress) is pursuing a deliberate strategy to 'divide the Hindu community for Muslim rule.'

What Revanth Reddy Said

Speaking at a media event in New Delhi, Reddy questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders consistently chant 'Jai Shri Ram' but not 'Har Har Mahadev.' He drew a cultural distinction between North and South India, describing South Indians as 'Dravidians' and devotees of Lord Shiva, and North Indians as 'Aryans' and devotees of Lord Ram.

'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. Why does Modi ji not say, 'Har Har Mahadev'?' Reddy stated. He also described Lord Shiva as the 'God of the poor' and Lord Ram as the 'God of the rich,' while adding that both deities are widely revered.

BJP's Rebuttal at Press Conference

BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, addressing a press conference at the party's headquarters in New Delhi, called the remarks part of a broader Congress pattern of dividing communities. He cited prior statements by other Congress leaders — including Karnataka Finance Minister D.K. Suresh, who reportedly claimed the South contributes more in taxes than the North, and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, who allegedly said the South would have progressed more without North India.

'This is the same Revanth Reddy who made remarks about Bihar's DNA... Congress plans to divide the Hindus for Muslim rule. The British used a divide and rule policy; Congress has adopted the same,' Trivedi said. He also alleged that Congress's approach to social issues — including what he described as selective silence on patriarchal statements from religious leaders of other communities — reflects a double standard.

BJP Cites Modi's Shiva Devotion

Trivedi pushed back specifically on Reddy's claim that BJP leaders do not chant 'Har Har Mahadev,' pointing out that Prime Minister Modi is the Lok Sabha member of parliament from Varanasi — home to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. 'There are several videos of him chanting 'Har Har Mahadev'. However, on the other hand, you cannot find one video of Rahul Gandhi doing the same,' he said.

Trivedi also noted that when Chandrayaan-3 landed at the Moon's south pole, Prime Minister Modi named the landing site 'Shiv Shakti' Point — with 'Shiv' representing a resolve for humanity's welfare and 'Shakti' honouring the women scientists who contributed to the mission.

The Tirupati Angle and Broader Allegation

The BJP spokesperson further invoked the Tirupati Balaji Temple, noting that Lord Venkateswara — revered across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh — is considered part of the family of Lord Ram, with a Ram darbar worshipped daily at the temple under the name 'Shri Raghunath Parviaram.' He used this to argue that Reddy's framing of Ram versus Shiva as a North-South divide contradicts the theological traditions of his own region.

Trivedi concluded by alleging that Congress's historical alliance with the Muslim League had embedded an 'Islamic influence' into the party's politics, leading it to now 'divide the Gods of Hindu society' — a claim Congress has not yet publicly responded to.

Political Context

This is not the first time Reddy's remarks have drawn national attention. Trivedi recalled that Reddy had previously stated 'Congress means Muslim; Muslim means Congress' during the Jubilee Hills by-polls — a statement that was itself controversial at the time. The latest exchange fits a pattern of escalating rhetoric between the BJP and Congress ahead of state and national electoral cycles, with both parties seeking to consolidate religious and regional voter blocs. The BJP's framing of the episode as a 'North-South divide' conspiracy adds a federal dimension to what began as a theological argument.