HYDERABAD: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Saturday accused the Congress government of “bulldozing” the self-respect and honour of minorities, especially Muslims, in Telangana.
Addressing BRS minority leaders from across the state at Telangana Bhavan here, Rama Rao said that the Congress government adopted the BJP’s “bulldozer” policy against minorities. “While BJP governments were demolishing properties belonging to minorities in their states, in Telangana, the government headed by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is bulldozing the self-respect of Muslims,” he alleged.
Rama Rao claimed that communal tension has resurfaced in the state with the Congress returning to power. As proof, he cited communal flare-ups in Sangareddy, Nalgonda and other places on January 22. The former minister accused the Congress government of failing to handle these incidents appropriately, highlighting a case in Daulatabad where a Muslim family, including a 5-year-old, was allegedly attacked.
Asserting that the chief minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, has not initiated an inquiry into the incidents, Rama Rao criticised the lack of a review meeting or direct communication with district SPs to address the violence. He reminded that the previous BRS government had promptly addressed similar incidents with seriousness and caution.
The former minister also criticised the Congress for the lack of Muslim representation in the Cabinet. “RSS-ideologue Revanth Reddy assumed office as chief minister on December 7, 2023. For the first time in the history of Telugu states since 1953, the state Cabinet lacks representation from the Muslim community. Congress justified this by claiming that no Muslim was elected as an MLA, and therefore, they were not inducting a Muslim minister into the Cabinet. However, they could have appointed a Muslim representative and later made him an MLC,” Rama Rao said.
Rama Rao also pointed out that there was no Muslim minister in the BJP-led government at the Centre. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,’ but when it comes to his Cabinet, he denies a berth to Muslims, who constitute nearly 14% of the country’s population,” he added.
He also rebutted Congress’s claim regarding the non-arrest of MLC K Kavitha in the Delhi liquor policy case by the BJP government. “BJP falsely implicated Kavitha, but her arrest was prevented due to the intervention of the Supreme Court. If BRS and BJP were allies, why would Kavitha face false charges from the BJP government?” he questioned.
Rama Rao stressed that BRS remains secular by choice, not due to political necessity. The party believes in Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb, rejecting BJP’s Hindutva certificates and Congress’s claims of secularism, he said. “BRS doesn’t need any of those certificates,” he asserted.
Auto-matic
BRS working president KT Rama Rao, for a change, took an autorickshaw from Yusufguda to the Telangana Bhavan on Saturday, taking people by surprise. After chairing a review meeting of BRS leaders and activists from the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency, Rama Rao, along with Jubilee Hills MLA M Gopinath hailed a passing auto-rickshaw. Rama Rao sat in the passenger seat while Gopinath sat beside the driver.While travelling, Rama Rao enquired about the problems and difficulties faced by the auto drivers after the introduction of free bus travel for women in Telangana.