In a sharp rebuke against Congress leader Revanth Reddy's purported comments on DNA, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a scathing attack, accusing him and other party leaders of attempting to sow division within India. This criticism was voiced on the day Reddy was sworn in as the chief minister of Telangana.
During an interaction with journalists, Reddy, who played a pivotal role in leading the Congress to victory in Telangana, allegedly made a statement regarding the DNA of Telangana and Bihar. According to reports, he claimed, "My DNA is Telangana... They migrated from Bihar to Vijayanagaram and from there to Telangana. Telangana DNA is better than Bihar DNA." The BJP, in response to this remark, expressed concerns over the divisive tone adopted by Congress leaders.
Ashwini Choubey, a prominent BJP leader, condemned Reddy's statement, describing it as unfortunate and worrying. He accused the Congress of fostering a negative environment and criticized Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for not responding to the comment. Choubey asserted, "This is an unfortunate statement. People of the Congress party create such a dirty environment. Such a statement by a CM is unfortunate and worrying. Bihar's DNA is very good. The whole country knows about it... Bihar CM Nitish Kumar is sitting silent. The public will give them an answer."
Ravi Shankar Prasad, a BJP Member of Parliament, characterized Reddy's remarks as irresponsible and shameful. He questioned the assertion that Bihar's DNA was weaker than Telangana's, and criticized prominent Congress figures, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Nitish Kumar, for their silence on the matter. Prasad suggested that such statements were contributing to the Congress's alleged agenda of dividing the country.
Prasad declared, "Is the DNA of Bihar weaker than Telangana? Why are Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar silent on this statement that divides the country? he said. He said the Congress was trying to divide the country. Congress leaders are trying to create division in the country. Revanth Reddy, who was sworn in as CM of Telangana, said that 'their DNA is better than Bihar's DNA'. Before that, a Congress MP said that there is a 'north-south' divide. Nobody in the Congress has asked them yet to withdraw their statement," highlighting the alleged pattern of divisive statements from Congress leaders.
In the recent elections, the Congress secured 64 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party won 39 seats. The swearing-in ceremony of Revanth Reddy as the Chief Minister of Telangana was attended by prominent Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others. The BJP's strong response indicates a heightened sensitivity to statements that are perceived as divisive and an emphasis on maintaining national unity.