Telangana CM trains his guns on BJP and BRS on Minority Welfare Day

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Minister for Minorities Mohammed Azharuddin and Government Adviser Mohammad Ali Shabbir presented the Best Teacher Award to a teacher during Minority Care Day, which coincides with the birth anniversary of First Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, in Hyderabad on Wednesday, November 20. Photo credit: NAGARA GOPAL

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday (Nov 11, 2026) sought to project the Congress as the only political entity capable of taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), even as he accused the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) of deceiving Muslims and trucking with the Narendra Modi government.

Mr Reddy was speaking in Hyderabad on Wednesday (Nov 11, 2026) on the Minority Care Day, which coincides with the birth anniversary of first education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, where he criticized the BJP’s stand on 4% reservation for Muslims and urged it to abolish quotas in Gujarat first.

Describing the BJP top brass as a “musafir” (tourist), he said: “A Musafir from far away Delhi came to Chevella and said he would form a government in Telangana. They said he would remove 4% reservation for Muslims. I told those tourists that such people come and go. We ignored such tourists.” He added: “Along with the majority, Congress will work for minorities, for education and for health.”

Mr. Reddy put the BRS in the crosshairs and accused the party of not keeping its promise of 12% reservation for Muslims. “The man promised you 12% reservation. Twelve years have passed and the man ran away. All the promises during his time were not kept,” he said.

The Chief Minister further claimed that the BRS car, its election symbol, had turned into a BJP lotus after arriving in Delhi. He questioned the BRS’s results in parliament and accused its leadership of deceiving Muslim voters

“How many times in the last 10 years have they helped you in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha? They have taken your help and given the impression that they are fighting Modi. You believe him because he speaks Urdu and you say, ‘Let’s vote for him’. He embraces Modi,” he said.

Mr. Reddy said minorities voted for regional parties across the country, which they thought would fight against the BJP. He argued that such parties might eventually ally with the BJP and that the Congress would never ally with the BJP.

Regarding education, Mr. Reddy recalled Maulana Azad’s contribution to the development of education. He said former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru entrusted Maulana Azad with the responsibility of educational development and that he laid the foundation for the establishment of IITs. This, the Chief Minister said, has enabled generations of engineers to emerge.

Mr. Reddy criticized the Union government for canceling scholarships for minority students. “I want to ask Modi, what sin have they done? It is not in man’s hands to decide where he should be born, it is Allah’s decision, Bhagwan’s decision. But it is in our hands to help them out of poverty. Which God asked you to take away their scholarship? But Modi and Amit bhai (Amit Shah) can do it,” he said.

The Chief Minister added that if India is to be a world leader, the government should focus on education and the welfare of minorities along with SCs and STs. He said the government was committed to quality education and skills development, especially against the backdrop of AI-threatened jobs in the IT sector. However, blue-collar jobs cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence and the acquisition of skills would ensure job opportunities, he said.

Moving on to the development of the city, he said the government has accelerated the metro rail work in the Old City. It will strengthen the economy and employment through the Musi rejuvenation project. A night-time economy would also develop along the river, he added. Minority Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin and Telangana Government Adviser Mohammad Ali Shabbir also spoke.

Published – 11 Nov 2026 15:59 IST