HYDERABAD: BJP Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind on Friday accused the Congress government of being responsible for a surge in attacks on temples since coming to power, blaming Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s “provocative statements.”
Addressing a press meet at the BJP state office in Nampally, Arvind slammed Revanth Reddy’s alleged remark — “Congress is Muslim, Muslim is Congress” — as “dangerously divisive,” alleging it was designed to instil fear among Hindus and trigger communal tensions. He charged that a Congress–MIM nexus was targeting the Hindu community, particularly in Old City areas, in a manner reminiscent of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus of the 1980s‑90s.
Arvind listed alleged incidents of temple attacks since Revanth Reddy took office, and said: “These are just reported cases; many go unreported. The CM bears moral responsibility for attacks on temples,” he said.
He criticised the police for alleged bias under political pressure, claiming Hindus were arrested instead of attackers, and drew parallels to Hyderabad riots in the 1980s‑90s under Congress rule, when MIM MLAs allegedly incited violence and ASP Sattaiah was murdered for acting against rioters.
Arvind also condemned Congress leaders’ jibes such as “Does BJP membership exist for Ram?” and defended BJP’s welfare schemes for all, citing PMAY housing, Ayushman Bharat, and Covid‑19 vaccines for Muslims. He reiterated his demand to rename Nizamabad as Induru, citing the 1909 Imperial Gazetteer, British maps, and the Telangana government’s own website as evidence against the Nizam’s “cruel legacy.”
Predicting a BJP sweep in municipal polls, Arvind warned that his party “will not tolerate attacks on Hindu society.”
