Hyderabad: Maulana Md Hussamuddin Sani Jafar Pasha, Ameer, Amarat-e-Millat-e-Islamia Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, on Friday, June 12, urged the Congress high command and the Telangana government to take corrective steps to ensure greater Muslim representation in the state’s cabinet, MLC nominations, Rajya Sabha seats and other nominated posts.
Addressing a press conference at Hussami Manzil, Panje Shah, Maulana Jafar Pasha released a letter addressed to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
Maulana Jafar Pasha sought the induction of at least one more Muslim minister in the Telangana cabinet, nomination of a Muslim leader as MLC, a fair representation for Muslims in Rajya Sabha seats and other nominated posts from the state.
He said Muslims constituted nearly 14% of Telangana’s population and had supported the Congress with the expectation that the party would work for their development and ensure their participation in governance.
He, however, pointed out that the community’s representation in the 16-member cabinet remained limited to one minister, Mohammad Azharuddin, who was inducted through the MLC route in October 2025, and given portfolios including Public Enterprises and Minorities Welfare.
He said the Congress had come to power with the support of Muslims, but the community had not received adequate space in the government.
Rahul Gandhi’s call versus reality
Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s call of “jitni aabadi utna haq”, meaning rights proportionate to population, he said that the Muslims in Telangana deserved greater representation.
The representation said upper castes, who constituted less than 10% of the population, held seven key positions, including that of the chief minister. In contrast, Muslims, with nearly 14% of the population, had only one ministerial berth. It said this imbalance was difficult to justify either on the basis of social justice or political representation.
He said the state government could not satisfy the community by pointing to only a few Muslim chairpersons or nominated posts. “If only four faces are shown, how will the remaining share be fulfilled,” he asked.
“If one to four Muslim leaders are given proper representation, Muslims would come closer to the government and support it more strongly, which would ultimately help the Congress increase its seats and political strength,” he observed.
Representation of Muslims in Karnataka, Kerala
He said that in Karnataka, where Muslims constituted about 12.9% of the population, had two Muslim ministers, the speaker’s post, the chairmanship of the Bangalore Development Authority, and continued ministerial representation even after the recent change of guard. He also noted that Mansoor Ali Khan was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka.
In Kerala, where Muslims constituted 26.56% of the population, he noted that the Congress-led UDF has traditionally ensured substantial representation to the community, including six Muslim ministers from the allied parties.
Onus on Congress to ensure victory of Muslim candidates
He also rejected the argument that Muslims could not be represented because Muslim candidates had not been elected on Congress tickets. He said it was the responsibility of the party to create conditions for its candidates to win.
He also noted that the Congress has beither had a Muslim MLA elected from Telangana since 2009, nor a Muslim MP from the state during this period. He opined that this situation called for proactive intervention in candidate selection, ticket distribution, organisational strengthening and leadership development.
Maulana Jafar Pasha said the present political climate had been affected by polarisation, division and hatred, making it difficult for Muslim candidates to win from constituencies with mixed populations.
Under such circumstances, he felt that secular and national parties such as the Congress needed to ensure Muslim representation through MLC, Rajya Sabha and other nominated routes wherever direct electoral representation becomes difficult.
Words of caution for Congress
Maulana Jafar Pasha cautioned that if the situation continued unchanged, the community would be forced to think about its future political approach towards the Congress.
He asserted that Muslims could not be treated merely as a vote bank, but should be recognised as equal stakeholders in governance, law-making and decision-making.
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Be alert on SIR
Maulana Jafar Pasha also appealed to Muslims in Telangana to remain alert and fully prepared for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. He said Booth Level Officers (BLO) were expected to visit households to collect detailed information, and people should not wait until the last moment to gather the required documents.
He urged the people to find out in advance which documents were needed, what information could be sought, and how their details should be properly verified and recorded. Any negligence, he warned, could create serious complications in the future, including questions related to the citizenship.
He appealed to the community members to guide their families, neighbours, relatives and residents of their localities in completing the documentation process for SIR.
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