Hyderabad: Telangana Jagruti president Kalvakuntla Kavitha alleged that minorities were deliberately sidelined under the Congress government, and she accused it of ignoring representation, welfare spending, and long-standing social concerns.
Addressing a press conference in Nagarkurnool, Kavitha said minorities once received symbolic recognition. However, she added that they gradually lost space in governance and politics. In this context, she referred to a remark by Professor Jayashankar, who had said that during his service at Osmania University, he greeted people with both ‘namaste’ and ‘salaam’. According to her, that inclusive culture weakened over time.
Moreover, Kavitha said minority representation steadily declined in government jobs and political institutions. As a result, authorities, she alleged, limited minorities mainly to the Waqf Board and Haj Committee. At the same time, they denied them positions in key departments. She said this pattern continued across successive governments.
After Telangana’s formation, she said, the BRS government under K. Chandrashekar Rao introduced limited change by elevating a Muslim leader to the post of Deputy Chief Minister. Even so, she said issues of backwardness, empowerment, and political participation remained unresolved.
Telangana Jagruti on minority rights and Congress failures
On reservations, Kavitha said the long-pending demand for 12 percent quotas for minorities failed to move forward. Meanwhile, she added that political parties continued to deny minorities meaningful representation. Therefore, she said Telangana Jagruti would intensify its struggle for reservations and inclusion, regardless of whether the Bharat Rashtra Samithi or the Indian National Congress was in power.
Additionally, she alleged that both governments spent less than half of the funds allocated for minority welfare. At the organisational level, Kavitha said Telangana Jagruti worked with all communities. Accordingly, it created Muslim Minority, Christian, and Sikh wings to strengthen representation and resolve grievances.
Turning to women voters, she said the Congress failed to honour its election promises. Specifically, the government did not implement the ₹2,500 monthly assistance scheme or the promise of one tola of gold. Consequently, she said women needed to seriously review these failures.
On education, Kavitha accused the government of neglect. As a result, fee reimbursement funds were not being released, she said, pushing students from poor and backward families into hardship. Despite this, she said Telangana Jagruti would continue its struggle for the rights of minorities, women, and youth.