Abdullah Sohail arrested during protest over minority education in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Senior BRS leader Shaik Abdullah Sohail and several party workers were arrested on Wednesday during a protest attempt near Banjara Bhavan. The protest targeted the Congress government’s alleged failure to fulfil its minority education promises.
The arrests took place as Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy attended National Education and Minority Welfare Day celebrations at the venue. The government organised the programme to commemorate the 138th birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
Speaking to reporters, Abdullah Sohail accused the Congress administration of neglecting minority students while conducting official celebrations. He alleged that the government had failed to implement several commitments made in its Minority Declaration before the 2023 Assembly elections.
Abdullah Sohail arrested during protest over education promises
Abdullah Sohail criticised the police action against BRS workers who attempted to demonstrate near the government programme. He alleged that the administration was suppressing democratic protests instead of addressing concerns about minority education.
According to Abdullah Sohail, the government had no moral right to celebrate National Education Day while leaving educational commitments unfulfilled. He questioned the continued delays in scholarships, fee reimbursements and other promised assistance.
The BRS leader said the demonstration was intended to highlight the difference between Congress’s electoral assurances and their implementation. He also demanded that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy explain the status of commitments made to minority communities.
Abdullah Sohail maintained that police action against opposition workers would not resolve the problems facing students. Abdullah Sohail particularly criticised the government’s failure to introduce the Abdul Kalam Taufa-e-Taleem scheme.
He said Congress had announced the programme in its Minority Declaration ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections. Under the proposed scheme, Congress promised financial assistance at different stages of education.
The announced benefits included Rs. 10,000 for minority students completing Class 10 and Rs. 15,000 at the Intermediate level. Congress also promised Rs. 25,000 for graduation and Rs. 1 lakh for postgraduate studies.
For M.Phil and PhD programmes, the proposed assistance amounted to Rs. 5 lakh. However, Abdullah Sohail alleged that no student had received assistance under the promised scheme.
He said the delay reflected the government’s failure to honour an important educational commitment. Furthermore, he questioned the decision to celebrate Azad’s birth anniversary without implementing the scheme named after him.
Abdullah Sohail cites scholarship expenditure figures
The BRS leader also raised concerns about expenditure under minority scholarship and fee reimbursement programmes. Citing a review of minority welfare schemes, he questioned the gap between budget allocations and actual spending.
He said the government had allocated Rs. 120 crore for Maintenance of Tuition Fees. However, expenditure under the programme stood at only Rs. 1.2 crore, benefiting 321 students, according to his figures.
Similarly, Abdullah Sohail said the allocation for Reimbursement of Tuition Fees amounted to Rs. 300 crore. Of this amount, only about Rs. 45 crore had reportedly been spent.
He also claimed that fresh scholarship and fee reimbursement liabilities accumulated after 2023 had exceeded Rs. 519 crore. The BRS leader alleged that these delays were creating financial difficulties for students from economically weaker minority families.
Additionally, he said pending reimbursements were placing pressure on educational institutions. He maintained that scholarships were essential for students who depended on government assistance to continue their education.
Overseas scholarship dues also questioned
Abdullah Sohail raised similar concerns about the implementation of overseas education assistance for minority students. He said the government had allocated Rs. 130 crore for overseas scholarships and released approximately Rs. 76 crore.
However, actual expenditure stood at only Rs. 1.30 crore, according to the figures he cited. He further claimed that pending bills and cheques under the programme had crossed Rs. 164 crore.
The BRS leader contrasted these figures with the previous administration’s performance. He claimed that the BRS government had provided overseas scholarship assistance worth Rs. 395.87 crore to 2,498 minority students.
Abdullah Sohail cited these figures while questioning the Congress government’s handling of educational financial assistance. The claims and expenditure figures were presented by Abdullah Sohail and were not independently verified in the supplied account.
Abdullah Sohail also expressed concern about declining enrolment in minority residential educational institutions. He alleged that inadequate recruitment and poor infrastructure were affecting educational opportunities for minority students.
Furthermore, he criticised the government’s failure to conduct the promised Special DSC recruitment for Urdu-medium teachers. He said the delay in teacher recruitment was another example of unfulfilled commitments in the Congress Minority Declaration.
The BRS leader also questioned the government’s minority welfare budget commitments. He alleged that Congress had failed to fulfil its promise of allocating Rs. 4,000 crore annually for minority welfare.
Several other assurances made before the 2023 Assembly elections remained unimplemented, he claimed. Following the arrests, Abdullah Sohail demanded immediate action on pending educational welfare commitments.
He called for the launch of the Taufa-e-Taleem scheme and clearance of outstanding scholarships and fee reimbursements. Additionally, he demanded the release of overseas scholarship funds and recruitment against vacant teaching posts.
The BRS leader urged the government to publish a white paper on minority education. He said the document should disclose budget allocations, actual expenditure, beneficiary figures and pending financial liabilities.
It should also explain the implementation status of promises included in the Congress Minority Declaration. Abdullah Sohail maintained that improving access to education would constitute a meaningful tribute to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
He accused Congress of celebrating Azad’s birth anniversary while failing to provide the promised financial assistance to minority students. The BRS leader reiterated that the government should address these demands rather than detain opposition workers.
The supplied statement did not include the government’s response to Abdullah Sohail’s allegations.