Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy proposed a new law to punish those who insult any religion and revealed that the Congress-led state government is planning to amend existing laws to ensure stricter punishment for anyone who abuses a religion. Chief Minister Reddy said that the law will be introduced in the upcoming budget session of the Assembly to combat religious hatred and punish those who insult other faiths.
Addressing a government-organised Christmas event in Hyderabad, Reddy emphasised that minorities deserved to receive all welfare scheme benefits. He added that the pending graveyard issues for Christians and Muslims would be addressed soon.
The Praise For Sonia Gandhi
Reddy said that the month of December was also a “Miracle Month” for Telangana and the Congress party. The chief minister mentioned that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s birthday is in December and Telangana was granted statehood in the same month.
“…Sonia Gandhi was born on December 9. After many young people sacrificed their lives for a separate Telangana, and despite suffering a huge political loss in Andhra Pradesh, she delivered Telangana,” he said.
A video of Reddy addressing event has gone viral on social media, where he said, “The reason we are celebrating the Christmas festival here (in Telangana) today is because of the contribution of Sonia Gandhi.”
This remark has generated strong criticism from the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.
“Sycophancy”: BJP Slams Chief Minister
In a post on X, the Telangana BJP shared the viral video and called Reddy’s remark (on Sonia Gandhi) “sycophancy”.
“Christmas is being celebrated here today due to the sacrifice and contribution of Sonia Gandhi. Revanth Reddy, CM of Congress, ruled Telangana. Next, we’ll be told the sun rises because of the Gandhi family. When sycophancy crosses all limits, everything is hijacked for political bootlicking,” the post read.
The BRS, meanwhile, also shared the video clip and said, “Today everyone is celebrating Christmas only because of the sacrifice of Smt Sonia Gandhi, says Congress CM Revanth …”
