BJP Condemns Revanth Reddy's "Congress Means Muslims" Statement in Telangana Political Row

Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao has strongly criticized Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for his controversial statement that "Congress means Muslims and Muslims means Congress," accusing the grand old party of engaging in vote bank politics.

Rao claimed that Reddy is "frustrated" and suggested that the Congress party is now adopting rhetoric similar to that of the AIMIM led by Asaduddin Owaisi.

"The maximum communal riots occurred during Congress rule. So how can he claim that Congress means Muslims? This is communal language and highly objectionable. I believe the chief minister is frustrated because he anticipates losing the Jubilee Hills bypoll. He's solely focused on Muslim votes while disregarding Hindu voters," the BJP leader told PTI.

The controversial remarks from Chief Minister Reddy came during a campaign rally on Thursday, where he responded to Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy's criticism regarding the recent appointment of former cricket star Mohammad Azharuddin to the Council of Ministers.

"The Congress government has historically provided numerous opportunities to minorities. Only Congress has granted significant positions to minority communities. Congress means Muslims and Muslims means Congress," Revanth Reddy had declared.

In an earlier interview with PTI Videos, Rao alleged that the Chief Minister was engaging in Muslim appeasement tactics to secure votes from the community for the upcoming November 11 bypoll in the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency.

"His comments clearly demonstrate vote bank politics. He claims Muslims receive respect because of Congress. The truth is Congress never ensured respect for Muslims. In fact, Congress damages Muslim dignity by treating them merely as a voting bloc. The real question is whether Congress is providing education, healthcare, employment opportunities, and housing to Muslims," Rao stated.

He further alleged that the BRS party follows similar policies, with both parties neglecting 80 percent of Hindu voters while pursuing the 20 percent Muslim vote share.

The Jubilee Hills bypoll was necessitated following the death of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath in June this year due to a heart attack.

The electoral contest features BJP candidate Deepak Reddy, BRS candidate Sunita (widow of Gopinath), and the Congress candidate who also enjoys support from Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM.