Daijiworld Media Network – Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Nov 7: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay triggered a major political controversy on Thursday night during a campaign rally in Borabanda, Hyderabad — part of the high-stakes Jubilee Hills by-election scheduled for November 11.
Addressing a charged crowd, Sanjay took a sharp jibe at Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for wearing a skull cap, saying he would “rather cut his head off” than wear one “for votes.” The BJP leader accused the Congress government of appeasement politics and vote-bank tactics.
“I am an unapologetic Hindu. I won’t insult other faiths by faking a namaz. Even Muslim leaders like Azharuddin and MIM don’t wear it. But Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and the Congress candidate did, just for votes,” he said.
Sanjay challenged the Chief Minister, asking, “Does he have the courage to ask Azharuddin to chant ‘Vakratunda Mahakaya’? Or take Owaisi to the Bhagyalakshmi temple to sing for Ammavaru to win Hindu votes?”
The minister went on to allege that the Congress and AIMIM were attempting to alter Telangana’s “demographic and political character.” Calling on the Hindu community to unite, he declared, “You must decide whether Telangana will have a Hindu regime or an Islamic regime, whether the saffron flag should fly high or the green flag. Under Ramchander Rao’s leadership, we are ready to fight this war. Give us your support and we will finish Congress and AIMIM.”
He further claimed that Congress and AIMIM aim to turn Telangana into an “Islamic state” and urged the majority community to consolidate as a “single vote-bank.” “Both BRS and Congress rely on minority votes. Why can’t the majority unite? That would be a game-changer,” he said.
Rejecting criticism and poll predictions, Sanjay asserted, “We don’t care about fake surveys. If they’re confident, why did they try to stop my rally? This is the time for us to stand united.”
He also accused the ruling party of distributing money and household appliances to influence voters. “Revanth Reddy has brought in 40,000 burqas to generate bogus votes. The Commission must stay alert. They give grinders to one community and ignore others. Take the money but punish them later,” he said.
The BJP leader ended his fiery speech by singing a devotional hymn and urging voters to support candidates “who pray to gods and goddesses.”
Sanjay’s remarks drew sharp criticism from opposition parties, who accused him of promoting communal division to polarize voters ahead of the by-election.