Revanth Reddy under BJP fire over 'Lord Ram god of rich, Lord Shiva of poor' remark

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has triggered a political row after describing Lord Ram as the "God of the rich" and Lord Shiva as the "God of the poor," drawing sharp criticism from the BJP.

Speaking at The Conclave 2026 in New Delhi on Monday, September 28, Reddy contrasted the BJP's frequent use of the "Jai Shri Ram" slogan with the "Har Har Mahadev" chant more common in southern India. Framing this as a broader North-South divide, he said, "We are Dravidians. People here (north) are Aryans. We are devotees of Shiva. These are devotees of Lord Ram. BJP stole Ram. It's an emotion. It's a sentiment. Why Modi ji does not say Har Har Mahadev? Have BJP people ever said Har Har Mahadev on a stage? They say only Jai Sri Ram," according to PTI.

He went on to add, "Shiva is the God of the poor, Ram is the God of the rich and the BJP is a party of the rich," while clarifying that both deities are equally revered.

Reddy attributed the BJP's electoral dominance in large parts of North India to what he called its appropriation of Lord Ram, and used the remarks to argue that there are deeper differences between the political cultures and social identities of North and South India. He also raised concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Lok Sabha delimitation, alleging both were designed to benefit the BJP by deleting votes.

The remarks drew swift condemnation from the BJP. Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar wrote on X that Reddy, who had earlier said "Muslim is Congress, Congress is Muslim," was "now drawing political boundaries between Lord Ram & Lord Shiva." Noting that Telangana is home to Dakshina Kashi at Vemulawada and Dakshina Ayodhya at Bhadrachalam, Kumar said Reddy, as the state's Chief Minister, should know better than to divide the two deities along regional lines. "Lord Shiva drank Halahala and became Neelakanth. Today, Congress is brewing its own Halahala: caste against caste, North against South, and now Shiva against Rama," he said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first PM since independence to visit the Vemulawada Sri Rajarajeshwara Swamy temple.

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that Reddy's comments were aimed at "dividing Hindus" as part of vote-bank politics, and disputed Reddy's claim that BJP leaders never chant "Har Har Mahadev," saying Modi has used both religious slogans.