New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS) While the Parliament readies up for a full-day debate on the national song Vande Mataram on December 8, two controversies, both linked to Congress leaders – one pertaining to an affront to the temple of democracy and the other about an insult to Hindu deities have hogged the nation's attention and also drawn strong backlash from the BJP. Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi on Wednesday lashed out at Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for "mocking" the Hindu faith and also took potshots at RS MP Renuka Chowdhury for a "dog stunt" at the Parliament.

He said that the Congress party has developed a penchant for insulting the Hindu faith as well as Indian culture, and the Telangana CM must apologise for his "distasteful and repulsive" statements on Hindu deities. Trivedi's tirade came on the back of Telangana CM Revanth Reddy allegedly mocking the existence of multiple Hindu gods and questioning the existence of "3 crore" deities. "Whether elections are underway or have already ended, the depth of contempt, disdain, and hostility that exists within the Congress party toward Indian culture and Hindu faith becomes unmistakably visible time and again," he said and added that such insulting and unacceptable remarks will not be tolerated.

"This is the same Chief Minister who once said - Congress means Muslims, and Muslims mean Congress," he added. Reddy's comments on deities, which drew flak for Telangana CM, read, "How many gods do Hindus believe in? Are there three crores? Why do so many exist? There is one god for those who are unmarried - Hanuman. There is another god for those who marry twice. And there is yet another god for those who drink alcohol."

Trivedi also called out the Congress party's association with parties, referring to DMK's pitch to eradicate Sanatan Dharma, which pushes and peddles "anti-Hindu" rhetoric and questioned whether it was deliberately doing this to create a social disturbance in the country or whether it was a motivated step at the insistence of some "other forces".

The BJP MP also launched a scathing critique of the Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury, who first "equated" the Parliamentarians with a dog, and when questioned over the privilege motion being considered against her, went on to mimic the sound of a canine. He said that the Congress MP first disrespected the temple of democracy by bringing a dog to its premises and then started "barking" when questioned about parliamentary conduct. "The Parliamentarian, known for high-pitched laughter, first said that not this dog but those sitting inside the Parliament bite. Today, when the media questioned her, instead of answering straight, she started mimicking the sound of a dog," Trivedi pointed out.