Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s lighthearted remarks about the diversity of Hindu deities; suggesting there is “a god for every occasion”; have triggered a political controversy, drawing sharp criticism from the BJP and BRS.
The comments, made during a Congress party executive meeting, quickly spread online after internal clips surfaced. Although the Chief Minister prefaced his remarks as being “in a lighter vein,” opposition parties have accused him of mocking Hindu beliefs.
Revanth Reddy’s viral comment read: “How many deities are there in Hinduism? Three crores? Why? For those who are unmarried, there is god Hanuman. For those who are married twice, there is another god. For those who drink, there is another god. Yellamma, Pochamma, Maisamma. For those who demand chicken, there is a god. And for those who eat dal-rice, there is another god. There are all kinds of deities.”
The BJP swiftly reacted, condemning the statement as an attack on Hindu traditions. Union minister and former Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar issued a strongly worded response on social media, accusing the Congress of harbouring “deep-rooted hatred” towards Hindus.
“I strongly condemn the comments made by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy insulting Hindus and Hindu deities. Congress has always bent before the AIMIM. Revanth Reddy himself once said Congress is a Muslim party—that exposes their mindset,” Bandi Sanjay wrote.
He added that the BJP had previously warned that Hindus would feel unsafe if Congress or BRS came to power.
“The Chief Minister’s latest comments prove we were right,” he said, calling on Hindus to unite against what he described as repeated insults to their faith.
BJP state president G. Ramchandra Rao announced statewide protests demanding an unconditional apology from the Chief Minister and the Congress government. The protests are expected to intensify in the coming days.
The BRS also criticised Revanth Reddy’s remarks, with several leaders urging him to withdraw the comments and apologise for hurting the sentiments of crores of Hindus in Telangana.