Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has faced criticism from the BJP after making remarks comparing the political use of Lord Ram and Lord Shiva during an event in New Delhi.

Speaking at The Conclave 2026 on Monday, September 28, Revanth Reddy contrasted the BJP’s use of the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan with the “Hara Hara Mahadev” chant. He said both Lord Ram and Lord Shiva are deities, before drawing a political and social comparison between the two.

What Revanth Reddy said about Ram and Shiva

Revanth Reddy said the BJP places greater emphasis on “Jai Shri Ram”, while people in southern India commonly use “Hara Hara Mahadev”.

He questioned why BJP leaders do not use the “Hara Hara Mahadev” slogan as frequently.

The Telangana Chief Minister then made the remark that has drawn attention, saying that Lord Ram is the “God of the rich” and Lord Shiva is the “God of the poor”. He also linked the comparison to his broader argument about differences between political and cultural traditions in northern and southern India.

Reddy further described the political-cultural divide using the terms “Dravidians” for the South and “Aryans” for the North, while saying that people in the South are more associated with devotion to Shiva and people in the North with devotion to Ram.

BJP criticism of Revanth Reddy

The remarks have triggered criticism from the BJP, bringing the religious comparison into the ongoing political exchanges between the BJP and the Congress.

Reddy’s comments came in the context of a wider political speech in which he criticised the BJP-led central government on issues including the Election Commission, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies.

Revanth Reddy’s wider remarks at the event

During the same event, the Telangana Chief Minister also alleged that the political situation was no longer simply a “North versus South” divide but had become a “Gujarat versus the entire country” situation.

He criticised the Centre over what he described as inadequate support for Telangana’s development projects and raised concerns about the possible impact of population-based delimitation on southern states. These were statements and allegations made by Reddy during the event.

Reddy also criticised the SIR exercise and called for a nationwide “SIR Go Back” movement. He alleged that the revision process could lead to the removal of voters and questioned the role of the Election Commission. These claims were made by the Chief Minister and are presented as his allegations, rather than independently established facts.

Why Revanth Reddy’s Ram-Shiva remark matters

The “Ram for rich, Shiva for poor” comment has become the most prominent part of Reddy’s remarks because it directly connects religious symbolism with his political argument about the BJP and Congress.

The statement was made as part of a broader discussion about the perceived political and cultural differences between northern and southern India. The BJP’s criticism of the comment has added another point of contention to the political exchange between the two parties.

The Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer has sought greater discretion for electoral officials using the Election Commission’s ECINET platform during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The request comes as Maharashtra is going through the notice phase of the voter-list revision exercise. The state poll chief has sought changes in the software so that officials at the local level can exercise their statutory powers more effectively while dealing with cases.

The demand relates to the role-based access and restrictions built into ECINET, the Election Commission’s digital platform used for several election-related services and operations. The Election Commission describes ECINET as a unified platform connecting voters, political parties, candidates and election officials.

Maharashtra CEO seeks changes to ECINET

Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam wrote to senior Election Commission officials seeking changes to the way ECINET operates during SIR, according to the report.

The request seeks to ensure that Electoral Registration Officers and other field-level officials can exercise the powers available to them under election laws without being unnecessarily constrained by software restrictions.

The issue is significant because electoral officials are handling discrepancies and other cases arising during the voter-roll revision process. Greater flexibility, as sought by the Maharashtra CEO, is intended to allow officials to take decisions within the powers assigned to them.

What is the ECINET issue?

ECINET is the Election Commission’s digital platform for election-related services and administrative functions. It provides access to voter-registration services, application tracking, voter-list searches and communication with election officials, among other functions.

The Maharashtra poll chief’s request concerns the level of discretion available to officials operating through the system. The demand comes amid questions about whether software-based restrictions can limit officials from exercising powers provided to them under the relevant electoral framework.

The Election Commission has subsequently decided to review ECINET and examine whether its functioning is consistent with the applicable laws and rules. A committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT has been constituted for the review.

Changes announced during SIR

The Election Commission has also eased the procedure for people who receive notices during SIR because of unmapped or logical discrepancies.

Under the revised process, Booth Level Officers can visit the homes of such voters, collect the required documents and upload them on ECINET for consideration by the Electoral Registration Officer. Such voters ordinarily do not have to appear personally before the ERO or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer. Hearings can be held in exceptional circumstances, preferably online, if the ERO considers them necessary.

The Election Commission has also extended the deadline for filing claims and objections in Maharashtra to October 12, 2026, with disposal of those claims extended to November 10, 2026.

The Maharashtra SIR process is aimed at revising and updating electoral rolls. The state administration has provided voters with facilities to verify their previous electoral-roll details and submit the required enumeration information.

A protest at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab’s Phagwara escalated into violence after an unverified social media claim alleged that a female student had been raped and later died by suicide.

The allegation had not been confirmed by police when the protest began. LPU rejected the claim and described it as false and fabricated. The unrest later involved vandalism, fires and a blockade of National Highway-44 outside the university.

By Monday, September 28, security had been tightened around the campus, classes had been suspended for 10 days and students were leaving the university as parents arrived to take them home.

How the LPU protest began

The protest reportedly began near Girls’ Hostel-3 around 1 am on Sunday.

According to a student interviewed by media, students had received a message on Reddit claiming that a girl had been raped and subsequently died by suicide. The student said more people joined the protest after messages circulated among students.

However, police had not received or confirmed a rape complaint when the protest started. The allegation therefore remained unverified.

As more students gathered, the situation deteriorated.

Masks and iron rods seen during the unrest

Videos from the campus showed large numbers of people, with several individuals wearing masks.

Students interviewed after the violence said they were unable to establish whether everyone involved was a student or whether some people had entered the campus from outside.

One student also alleged that some people involved in the violence were carrying iron rods. These are accounts provided by students and should not be treated as an independently established identification of those responsible.

Police have been examining CCTV footage and investigating whether people from outside the university were involved.

Campus property damaged, fires reported

The unrest resulted in damage to university property, including smashed window panes and other vandalism. Some objects were also set on fire.

The violence extended beyond the campus, with protesters blocking National Highway-44, a major route connecting Jalandhar and Phagwara. The blockade continued for more than 15 hours before traffic was restored on Monday.

Other reporting also said vehicles and parts of buildings were damaged during the unrest.

Police registered FIR, special team formed

Punjab authorities moved to investigate the violence after the situation escalated.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed police authorities to take strict action against those responsible for the vandalism and arson. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav also visited the campus and reviewed the situation.

Police registered an FIR and formed a high-level Special Investigation Team to investigate the incident.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said the police had initially exercised restraint because students were involved in the protest. He said the authorities attempted to address students’ grievances through discussions.

What LPU said about the rape allegation

Lovely Professional University has denied that a female student was raped on the campus.

LPU Registrar Monica Gulati described the allegations as false, baseless and fabricated. The university also released a video featuring three female students from room 504 of a hostel, in which they said that no such incident had taken place in their room.

The video subsequently became controversial when the same students appeared in another video and alleged that they had been told what to say and that the video had been used without their consent.

These claims surrounding the video were circulating allegations and had not themselves been independently established in the report.

LPU classes suspended for 10 days

Following the violence, the university suspended classes for 10 days from September 28.

The university also postponed mid-term examinations until further notice, according to reporting on the situation.

Security was increased on the campus as students began leaving with their belongings and parents arrived to take them home.

What is known about the alleged rape-suicide claim?

At the time of the protests, police had not confirmed a rape complaint at LPU. The allegation had circulated through social media and among students but remained unverified.

LPU denied that the alleged incident had occurred. Police are investigating the violence and the circumstances surrounding the claims.