New Delhi: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday, September 28, made a notable political statement while drawing a contrast between the devotees of Lord Shiva (Shiv bhakts) and Lord Ram (Ram bhakts).
Participating in an interview organised by the Pratidin Media Network, The Conclave 2026, Reddy said, “Both Mahadev and Ram are our deities,” adding, “Gareeb logon ke bhagwaan hai Shiv ji, ameer logon ke bhagwaan hain Ram ji (Shiv is the God of the poor, Ram is the God of the rich).”
He elaborated that Lord Ram is historically associated with kings and rulers, whereas Lord Shiva represents the common working class.
From there, he moved on to the BJP, calling it an organisation that aligns itself as a party of the wealthy, and consequently, the party has never chanted “Har Har Mahadev” from any stage.
Reddy also sought to juxtapose Dravidian and Aryan traditions, noting that Southern regions historically hold deep devotion to Lord Shiva. He remarked that while “Jai Shri Ram” is heavily emphasised in the North, the chant of “Har Har Mahadev” is deeply rooted in the South.
Bandi Sanjay hits back
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar hit back at Revanth Reddy saying that with Telangana having “Dakshina Kashi” at Vemulawada and “Dakshina Ayodhya” at Bhadrachalam, the CM “should know better than to divide Lord Rama and Lord Shiva into North and South.”
“CM Revanth Reddy who says ‘Muslim is Congress, Congress is Muslim’ is now drawing political boundaries between Lord Ram & Lord Shiva…..Lord Shiva drank Halahala & became Neelakanth. Today, Congress is brewing its own Halahala: caste against caste, North against South, and now Shiva against Rama.” Bandi Sanjay stated in a post on X.
On allegations towards BJP and the PM, Kumar said that PM Modi represents Varanasi in Lok Sabha and Kashi Vishwanath is at the spiritual heart of Varanasi.
He also shared a clip of Modi saying “Har Har Mahadev” and worshipping Shiva.
Revanth compares SIR protests to ‘Simon Go Back’
Later, while speaking to reporters about the controversy surrounding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, he said “I draw a direct parallel to the ‘Simon Go Back’ slogan of 1929; today, the cry is ‘SIR Go Back.’ The youth of this country will not stop until the SIR issue is resolved. Just as the British used the Simon Commission, the “British Janata Party” is using the Election Commission in the same way.”
He said that the BJP was conspiring with the Election Commission to undermine the right to vote and urged the youth to come out on the streets.
“Just as Bhagat Singh fought against the Simon Commission, Rahul Gandhi is leading the fight against EVMs today. It is essential that we all extend our support.” he said.
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