Revanth Reddy's controversial speech appeared to be part of a frantic push to rally Muslims behind the Congress in Jubilee Hills, a constituency the party lost in 2023 but now views as winnable through targeted promise.
Published Nov 05, 2025 | 11:54 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 05, 2025 | 11:55 AM
The 11 November by-election in Jubilee Hills, necessitated by the death of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath in June 2025, is widely seen as a referendum on the 22 months of Congress rule in Telangana.
Synopsis: Revanth Reddy’s statement, aimed at bolstering support for Congress candidate V Naveen Yadav in a constituency where Muslims form nearly 1.3 lakh of the more than 4 lakh electorate, has drawn widespread condemnation for reducing a vibrant community to political dependents, exposing the fault lines in the party’s minority outreach.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy seems to have shot himself in the foot, saying that without Congress, Muslims are nothing.
Addressing a charged campaign rally in the bypoll-bound Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency on Tuesday, 4 November, he set off a political storm, saying, “Congress hai to Musalman hi. Congress hai to aap ki izzat hai. Jab Congress nahi hai, aap kuch nahi” (Congress has given you respect and schemes; without us, you’d have been nothing – no voice, no protection).
The 11 November by-election in Jubilee Hills, necessitated by the death of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath in June 2025, is widely seen as a referendum on the 22 months of Congress rule in Telangana.
Revanth Reddy’s statement, aimed at bolstering support for Congress candidate V Naveen Yadav in a constituency where Muslims form nearly 1.3 lakh of the more than 4 lakh electorate, has instead drawn widespread condemnation for reducing a vibrant community to political dependents, exposing the fault lines in the party’s minority outreach.
The comment come at a precarious moment for the Congress government, which swept to power in 2023 on promises of social justice but faces accusations of sidelining minorities.
Jubilee Hills, a high-stakes urban seat, has turned out to be a litmus test for Revanth Reddy: a Congress loss could signal eroding minority trust, especially after two years without a single Muslim minister in the Cabinet – a first since Telangana’s formation in 2014.
A few days ago, cricketer-turned-politician Mohammad Azharuddin was inducted into the Cabinet to narrow down the yawning gap between the party and the Muslims.
With 1.3 lakh Muslim voters alongside significant Backward Class (BC) blocs, the by-election pits Congress against the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), raring to bounce back in Telangana’s electoral landscape, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is making feverish attempts to emerge as an alternative to the Congress.
Revanth Reddy’s speech appeared to be part of a frantic push to rally Muslims behind the Congress in Jubilee Hills, a constituency the party lost in 2023 but now views as winnable through targeted promises: 4,000 Indiramma houses, land for a Muslim burial ground, and implementation of the party’s “six guarantees” like free bus travel and subsidised gas.
Flanked by the newly inducted Minority Welfare Minister, Azharuddin – a last-minute Cabinet addition decried as “vote-bank theatrics” – Revanth Reddy framed the election as a battle against BRS “betrayal” and BJP “obstructionism”. He accused the Opposition of stalling projects like the Hyderabad Metro and Musi River rejuvenation, while touting Congress’s historical role in minority upliftment.
Revanth Reddy made the controversial sentence while urging Muslim voters to repay Congress’s “favours” with loyalty: “Congress has given you respect and schemes; without us, you’d have been nothing – no voice, no protection.”
Supporters cheered it as an invocation of the party’s national stance against the BJP’s exclusivist majoritarianism. Yet, the phrasing – implying Muslims’ existence and dignity are contingent on Congress patronage – struck many as condescending, reducing a community of over 45 lakh in Telangana – about 12 percent of the population – to electoral pawns.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
