Defence minister Rajnath Singh has sharply criticised Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy for his recent statement equating the Congress party with the Muslim community, calling the remark an attempt to divide citizens along religious lines and describing it as a new low in political discourse. Speaking at a campaign rally in Aurangabad district of Bihar on Sunday, Singh accused the Congress and its allies of practising divisive politics at a time when, he said, the country requires stability, unity, and good governance.

The remarks came on the final day of campaigning for the last phase of the Bihar assembly election, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are locked in a heated contest against the INDIA bloc, comprising the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and several other opposition parties. Singh used the rally to mount a pointed attack on the opposition, accusing them of pushing identity-based narratives for electoral gain.

Addressing a large gathering, the defence minister said that the BJP-led NDA has never sought to divide people based on caste, creed, or religion, asserting that the alliance represents a politics of governance and national security. He said that leaders making statements such as “Congress means Muslims” are engaging in rhetoric that weakens social harmony and distracts from real issues of development and public welfare.

According to Singh, Revanth Reddy’s comments reflect a “degradation of politics” at a time when responsible leadership demands restraint and respect for India’s diverse social fabric. Singh argued that reducing a political party or community to a religious identity is harmful and that such remarks reinforce communal divides that the nation has worked hard to overcome.

He further claimed that the Congress and RJD have a history of fuelling caste-based and identity-driven political campaigns in Bihar. The defence minister reminded the audience of the violent conflicts that shook the state in previous decades, accusing earlier regimes of plunging Bihar into a cycle of massacres, social unrest, and lawlessness. “This election,” he said, “is a fight between good governance and jungle raj. The same people who once led Bihar into chaos are now asking for votes, and the people must remain alert.”

Singh also targeted RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, invoking a popular political slogan from the 1990s and early 2000s—“jab tak rahega samosa mein aaloo, tab tak rahega Bihar mein Lalu”—a phrase once used by RJD workers to suggest that Lalu’s presence in Bihar politics was as essential and enduring as potatoes in a samosa. Singh said the metaphor no longer reflects today’s political and economic realities.

In a lighter but pointed quip, he remarked that modern-day samosas require more than just potatoes and that richer ingredients like cashew nuts are needed to make them “truly tasty.” He added that only the NDA, with its focus on development, can provide such “tasty samosas,” framing the analogy as a symbol of prosperity and improved living standards under the NDA’s governance model.

Continuing his criticism of the opposition, Singh accused the INDIA bloc of making unrealistic promises, particularly the proposal to provide one government job per family if elected. He questioned the financial viability of such a pledge, saying that the opposition had not explained how the state would generate the revenue required to pay salaries for such an expansive recruitment programme. Singh suggested that the promise was designed solely to attract votes without any practical plan. “I do not know whether Tejashwi knows mathematics,” he said, arguing that the claim was an example of irresponsible populism.

The rally also served as a platform for Singh to address national-level political tensions arising from Revanth Reddy’s controversial remarks in Telangana. The Telangana chief minister had made the statement while campaigning for the Jubilee Hills assembly by-election in Hyderabad. His comment—“Congress means Muslims and Muslims means Congress”—was delivered during a speech criticising Union coal minister G Kishan Reddy, a BJP leader, for opposing the appointment of Mohammad Azharuddin, former cricketer and Congress leader, to a cabinet position.

Revanth Reddy’s statement was framed as an assertion of his party’s commitment to giving leadership positions to members of minority communities. He argued that the Congress, unlike the BJP, does not hesitate to include Muslims in significant decision-making roles. However, his phrasing immediately drew criticism from opposition parties, political analysts, and community leaders, who said it risked creating communal polarisation and reducing minority groups to a monolithic electoral category.

Responding in Bihar, Rajnath Singh said that such rhetoric was designed to provoke social divisions and to reinforce the perception that political loyalty is tied to religious identity. He argued that Congress leaders were attempting to consolidate minority votes while simultaneously alienating other communities, thereby widening social rifts. Singh maintained that the BJP’s political philosophy is inclusive and aimed at serving all citizens equally, irrespective of religion or caste.

Singh also used the platform to reiterate the NDA’s development record in Bihar, pointing to infrastructure upgrades, welfare schemes, and improvements in law and order as evidence of effective governance. He contrasted this with what he described as decades of stagnation and misgovernance under previous regimes, asserting that the NDA has facilitated economic growth, job creation, and improved security. He urged voters to judge political parties based on their performance rather than on provocative statements or caste-based narratives.

Political analysts observing the campaign noted that Singh’s remarks fit into the BJP’s broader strategy of framing the Bihar election as a contest between stability and chaos, development and identity politics. The party has positioned itself as a defender of national unity while portraying the opposition as fracturing the social fabric.

Revanth Reddy’s comments, meanwhile, have become a flashpoint in the election cycle, prompting debates about secularism, minority representation, and the role of religious identity in Indian politics. While Congress leaders have defended Reddy’s intent—arguing that he was highlighting the party’s commitment to minorities—several commentators said the phrasing risked reinforcing stereotypes and feeding into the BJP’s narrative about divisive politics.

As the Bihar election heads into its final phase, both sides are using the controversy to galvanise their respective voter bases. The BJP is leveraging it to project the opposition as communal and divisive, while the Congress argues that the remark reflects its historical commitment to minority empowerment.

With political temperatures rising and campaign rhetoric intensifying, the final phase of voting will test whether voters respond more strongly to appeals based on governance, security, and economic stability, or to debates over identity, representation, and political messaging. The impact of Reddy’s comments—and Singh’s forceful response—will likely continue to shape political discussions well beyond the conclusion of polling.