Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
A day after Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced plans to introduce a Bill against hate speech, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state has opposed the move.
Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao referred to the anti-hate speech Bill recently passed in the Karnataka Assembly and said that it was designed by Congress to “harass and silence BJP workers and leaders.”
“It is only meant to protect those who abuse Sanatana dharma and Hindu dharma, and to silence Hindus from retaliating against such comments,” he said on December 21.
Ramchander Rao also referred to recent controversies around CM Revanth’s remarks on Muslims and Hindu deities to claim that it was Congress leaders themselves who were “abusing and inciting hate towards Sanatana dharma.”
On December 20, CM Revanth announced at a Christmas event that his government will soon introduce a law to curb hate speech. He said that the Bill will be tabled in the Monsoon session of the Telangana legislature.
“Any crimes based on religion are being dealt with strictly. We will soon introduce a law against hate speech, similar to the one brought in by Karnataka Congress which has legal provisions to punish offenders who speak in a way that insults other religions,” he said.
On December 18, the Congress government in Karnataka passed the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, in the Legislative Assembly in Belagavi amid strong opposition from the BJP.
The Bill proposes punishment of up to seven years and Rs 50,000 fine for hate crimes, and extended punishment and Rs 1 lakh fine for repeat offences. It also empowers the state government to order the removal of hate speech content from media platforms.
The Bill defines hate crime as “communication of hate speech, by making, publishing or circulating or any act of promoting, propagating, inciting or abetting or attempting such hate speech, to cause disharmony or feelings of enmity or hatred or ill-will against any person dead or alive or group of persons or organisation.”