Revanth Reddy’s Ram and Shiva Remarks Draw Criticism

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s remarks linking devotion to Shiva and Ram with regional and economic identities prompted criticism from political opponents, who accused him of using religious divisions for political purposes. The remarks were made at an event in New Delhi on September 28, according to reports. Reddy described South Indians as Dravidians and North Indians as Aryans, and associated the South with devotion to Shiva and the North with devotion to Ram. He also characterized Shiva as the God of the poor and Ram as the God of the rich. One account reported that he said both deities were revered by his community. The accounts differ in how fully they quote and contextualize his remarks, and no full transcript was provided. Reddy also questioned why leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emphasize the slogan Jai Shri Ram rather than Har Har Mahadev. He was reported as saying the BJP had appropriated Ram and that its leaders did not chant Har Har Mahadev on stage. Another account said he described the BJP as aligned with wealthy people. The full context of these comparisons was not available in the reports.