Hyderabad
oi-Madhuri Adnal
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy Revanth Reddy triggered a political controversy after he called “Shiva is the God of the poor, Ram is the God of the rich” and linked it with the perceived North and South divide.
Speaking at an event in New Delhi on Monday, Reddy said the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi use the slogan ‘Jai Sri Ram’ rather than ‘Har Har Mahadev’. He then linked the difference to what he described as Aryan and Dravidian identities.
Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy reportedly stated Shiva is the god of the poor and Ram the god of the rich, linking this to an Aryan-Dravidian divide, prompting BJP leaders to condemn the comments as divisive and factually incorrect.
“The reason is that we are Dravidians, and we are devotees of Lord Shiva, while they are Aryans who worship Lord Sri Ram,” Reddy said. He added that Lord Shiva was the god of the poor, while Lord Ram was the god of the rich, while also saying that people respected and worshipped both deities.
His comments drew a sharp reaction from the BJP in Telangana.
State BJP president N Ramchander Rao accused the Chief Minister of trying to create divisions among Hindus. He said there was no difference between Lord Ram and Lord Shiva and rejected the Aryan Dravidian distinction made by Reddy.
“There is no difference between Lord Ram and Lord Mahadev. Gods always bless poor and needy people,” Rao said.
He also argued that the Aryan Dravidian theory was created by the British to divide India and said Lord Ram and Lord Shiva are worshipped across the country, from the North to the South.
Rao further accused Reddy of making the remarks with an eye on Muslim voters ahead of the Khairatabad by election, which followed the disqualification of Congress MLA Danam Nagender. He also referred to Reddy’s earlier comment during the Jubilee Hills by election that “Congress is Muslim and Muslim is Congress”.
Telangana BJP chief spokesperson N V Subhash also hit out at the Chief Minister, accusing him of using controversial statements to shift attention away from issues facing his government.
Subhash said Reddy was attempting to divide people along regional, religious and caste lines. He also questioned the Congress government’s approach to development at the Bhadrachalam temple, which is often referred to as Dakshin Ayodhya.
Union Minister and BJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar also criticised Reddy, saying there was no basis for creating separate identities between North and South India or between devotees of Lord Ram and Lord Shiva.
