Samajwadi Party says Revanth Reddy should focus on governance, not matters of faith

The Samajwadi Party criticised Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy over his remarks on Lord Ram and Lord Shiva. The BJP also questioned his comments, while the Congress defended Reddy and accused the BJP of using religious issues for political gain.

Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Tuesday criticised Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy‘s statement on Lord Ram and Lord Shiva and said he should focus on working for the poor and backward communities rather than commenting on matters of faith.

Speaking to IANS, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ashutosh Verma said, “I think you are the Chief Minister of a state. You should not get involved in matters concerning God. Use the powers given to you by the Constitution to work for the poor, backward, Dalit, minority and oppressed people. Matters concerning God, and which God is greater or smaller, should be left to saints, seers and spiritual leaders.”

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This came as Reddy, speaking at a media event in the national capital on Monday, questioned the BJP’s repeated use of the slogan “Jai Shri Ram” and asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders do not similarly chant “Har Har Mahadev”.

“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’? Have you ever seen BJP people say ‘Har Har Mahadev’ on stage? They only say, ‘Jai Sri Ram’. When we chant ‘Har Har Mahadev’, they don’t like it,” Reddy stated.

The Telangana Chief Minister also described Lord Shiva as the “God of the poor” and Lord Ram as the “God of the rich”, adding that both deities are revered by people.

His remarks drew a strong response from the BJP, as the party questioned the manner in which he sought to draw a distinction between the two deities and between the regions.

However, the Congress defended Reddy and accused the BJP of using God for “political gain”.

Speaking to IANS, Congress leader Madhu Yaskhi Goud said, “The BJP is the one that has profited politically by creating division in the name of God. Today, the BJP is the one that stole the donations collected in the name of Lord Ram Himself. What right does someone who collects donations in God’s name and steals them have to question us? First, you should answer the nation.”

“With all the money you collected by raising the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ issue, when the Ram Temple inauguration took place, you distributed rice across the entire country. So you were the ones doing politics, not us. Our Chief Minister wants to prove that the BJP has fallen so low that they even exploit God just to come to power,” he added.