A political row has broken out ahead of Christmas after Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy credited Congress leader Sonia Gandhi while speaking about Christmas celebrations in the state. His remarks drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused the Congress of flattery and of disrespecting the Christian community.
Revanth Reddy made the comments on Saturday while addressing Christmas celebrations organised by the Telangana government at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad. During his speech, he spoke about the need to respect all religions and said the government would act firmly against those who spread religious hatred.
“We will bring a law in the Assembly to punish those who insult other religions. We will also amend existing laws to take action against those who abuse other faiths,” the Chief Minister said. He added that the government had already taken steps against people involved in hate speech and religious attacks.
Linking the festival to political events, Reddy described December as a “miracle month” for Telangana and the Congress party. He said December marks the birth of Jesus Christ, the birth month of Sonia Gandhi, and also the month when Telangana got statehood. His comments were widely shared on social media and soon triggered controversy.
Reacting strongly, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed the Chief Minister. “If sycophancy were a sport, Revanth Reddy would win an Olympic gold medal,” he said. “He has crossed all limits by claiming that Christmas is celebrated because of Sonia Gandhi’s sacrifice. This is an insult to Jesus Christ and the Christian community. This happens when blind loyalty to one family becomes more important than respecting faith and public sentiment,” Poonawalla added.
The BJP accused the Congress of trying to politicise a religious festival and said such statements hurt the sentiments of Christians. The controversy has added to the political tension in the state ahead of Christmas celebrations.
