BJP Leader's Communal Remarks Against Telangana Chief Minister Spark Political Row

Hyderabad:Nizamabad MP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dharmapuri Arvind sparked a sharp political row after making communally charged remarks against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, drawing strong warnings from senior Congress leaders, though they were careful to keep their tone more measured than his. Arvind’s comments came in the backdrop of communal clashes and arson in Telangana’s Banswada last week. Speaking to the media on Sunday, February 22, Arvind claimed that the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday would begin with the reading of the Kalma, with all participants wearing skullcaps. He alleged this was in line with what he called Islamic organisations’ goal of turning India into an Islamic country by 2050. Taking a direct swipe at the Chief Minister, he asked, “Yeh Revantuddin kya hai?” — a remark that drew immediate condemnation. He went further, calling Revanth Reddy the “cheapest” CM the country has ever seen and a “chicchhora” who had crossed all limits of decency. In the same breath, he suggested that if the CM was to be called “Revanthuddin,” others in the Cabinet should follow suit, proposing that Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka rename himself “Bhatti Akram” and that Minister Sridhar Babu become “Sridhar Baba.” “If we play bhajans at our house, it is not ok, but if they play on loudspeakers, it is ok?” he asked. Arvind also found fault with Revanth Reddy holding the Home and Municipal Administration portfolios, alleging he lacked the competence to handle them and claimed a “loot” was being perpetrated in the state. He also alleged that the CM was simultaneously courting the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), whose headquarters is at Darussalam, and the family of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao. “That guy (Akbaruddin Owaisi) is commenting on his caste, but he is still shamelessly going and licking their office mud,” Arvind said. On the Banswada clashes, Arvind alleged that most cases had been filed against Hindus and demanded that the person who allegedly triggered the incident at a supermarket be dealt with sternly. Reacting sharply, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) working president T Jayaprakash Reddy, popularly known as Jagga Reddy, warned Arvind that if he uttered another word against the Chief Minister, Congress workers would publicly humiliate him by making him to do sit-ups on the road. “The Congress workers and sympathisers are unhappy, thinking about how they should respond to these comments,” he said. Reddy also reminded Arvind that he was no senior political figure, and advised him to focus on representing his constituents and pursuing development rather than indulging in inflammatory statements to please a section of people. “In politics, there always will be someone unhappy. You have joined such people, it is fine. But just to please them and get their ‘shabbash,’ you need not indulge in such behaviour,” he advised Arvind. “If a group of people comes to you with an issue, represent their issue. If you want any developmental works to be done, go to the Chief Minister and get them done. But this is not the way,” he said. It is worth noting that Arvind is the younger son of former TPCC president D Srinivas, who passed away on June 29, 2024. Srinivas was a three-time MLA, served as an MLC and was a Rajya Sabha MP from 2016 to 2022.