Hyderabad: Union Minister and BJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar has drawn sharp criticism for turning the Jubilee Hills by-election campaign into a communal confrontation. Addressing a rally at Meenakshipuram, he described the contest as a “Dharma war” between Hindus and Muslims, accusing the Congress and BRS of “Muslim appeasement” and conspiring to turn Telangana into an “Islamic state.”
Kumar alleged that under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the Indian National Congress had transformed into the “Indian Muslim Congress.” He urged Hindu voters to consolidate into a “single vote-bank” and back the BJP, calling it the only defender of “Hindu dharma.” He pledged to rename Jubilee Hills as “Sitaram Nagar” and promised to build a temple if the BJP wins.
The minister also attacked Revanth Reddy for wearing a skullcap while reaching out to Muslim voters, questioning whether AIMIM leaders Asaduddin and Akbaruddin Owaisi would ever reciprocate by visiting temples. He warned that if Congress wins, “parks will turn into graveyards and Eidgahs,” and “Hindu festivals will be suppressed.”
Critics have condemned Kumar’s remarks as an attempt to divide voters along religious lines ahead of the November 11 by-election. His comments have heightened tensions in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills constituency, where the BJP, Congress, and BRS are locked in a fierce three-way contest.
