Hyderabad: BRS leader and MLC Shaik Abdullah Sohail on Friday accused the Congress government of sidelining Muslims in Telangana, citing complete exclusion from the state cabinet and failure to fulfil minority welfare commitments.
Addressing the media after Friday prayers, Sohail said the Muslim community, which had backed Congress during the 2023 Assembly elections, has been politically discarded. He pointed out that for the first time since 1952, there is no Muslim minister in the Telangana cabinet. “There is no representation even in the Assembly, Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha,” he said.
The remarks were part of a campaign by the BRS, which distributed pamphlets across Muslim localities in the city targeting the Congress on the issue, coinciding with Rahul Gandhi’s birthday celebrations.
Sohail said symbolic appointments to insignificant positions have replaced genuine representation. He contrasted this with the BRS tenure, during which Mohammed Mahmood Ali held the posts of Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister.
He alleged the Congress had failed to implement its Minorities Declaration, which had promised a ₹4,000 crore welfare budget, ₹1,000 crore annual loan support, graveyard land protection, and a caste census. “Eighteen months in, not one of the 12 commitments has been delivered,” he said.
According to Sohail, minority welfare schemes like the Abdul Kalam Taufa-e-Taleem and Shaadi Mubarak have either not been launched or have seen drastic cuts. He claimed only ₹282 crore of the ₹650 crore allocation for Shaadi Mubarak was utilised.
Raising concern over communal incidents in several districts, he criticised the state’s silence in response to attacks on Muslim youth and places of worship. He said that during unrest on Bakrid, the Chief Minister instead reviewed cow shelter plans, calling it a misplaced priority.
He also objected to the state awarding the film Razakar, made by BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy, as Best Historical Film. “This was a propaganda film that stoked fear and flopped. To give it an award in Gaddar’s name insults his secular legacy,” he said.
Sohail warned that the Congress’s continued neglect could have long-term political consequences. “Muslims feel abandoned. This disillusionment won’t be forgotten,” he said.