BRS leader Abdullah Sohail claims credit for Azharuddin’s cabinet inclusion
Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) senior leader Shaik Abdullah Sohail on Thursday said the credit for former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin’s entry into Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s cabinet goes to the BRS. He claimed the Congress acted only after the BRS exposed its neglect of Muslim representation.
Sohail said the Congress had ruled Telangana for nearly 22 months without including a Muslim in the cabinet. He called this an insult to a community that makes up about 15% of the State’s population. “Only after sustained criticism by the BRS did the Congress high command realise the damage and hastily announce Azharuddin’s induction,” he said.
BRS Sohail says Congress bowed to pressure over Azharuddin cabinet move
The BRS leader reminded that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy earlier justified the absence of Muslim ministers by saying no Muslim MLA won on a Congress ticket in 2023. Sohail said the government could have still appointed minority leaders through the Legislative Council.
He said Amer Ali Khan was nominated as MLC under the Governor’s quota but kept out of the cabinet for 13 months. When the Supreme Court cancelled his nomination, the Chief Minister dropped him and replaced him with Azharuddin. Sohail said the act showed a lack of dignity toward Amer Ali Khan.
He added that Azharuddin’s MLC appointment still faces legal scrutiny. “Revanth Reddy himself is unsure whether Azharuddin will complete his term,” he remarked.
BRS vows to continue fight for minority rights
According to Sohail, the BRS’s campaign forced the Congress to act. “Congress leaders could not visit Muslim areas without facing questions about their neglect. Azharuddin’s induction is not a sincere step but a political tactic before the Jubilee Hills by-election,” he said.
Sohail appealed to voters to defeat the Congress and support the BRS. “Only if the Congress faces defeat will it take its promises seriously. Otherwise, it will keep deceiving minorities with symbolic gestures,” he said.
He recalled that the Congress’s minority declaration promised a ₹4,000 crore annual welfare budget, a minority sub-plan for full utilisation, and ₹1,000 crore in subsidised loans for youth. “None of these commitments have been fulfilled. The BRS will continue its fight until the Congress government delivers on its promises to the Muslim community,” Sohail added.
