Congress Slams BJP 'Hypocrisy' Over Ramzan Relaxations

In a press briefing today at Gandhi Bhavan, TPCC spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin criticized the BJP for its opposition to the State's decision allowing Muslim government employees to leave work early during the holy month of Ramzan.

For the unversed, the Telangana government issued an order permitting Muslim employees to leave from their offices at 4 pm between March 2 and March 31, 2025, to facilitate their observance of Ramzan. This directive applies to all government employees, teachers, contract and outsourcing staff, as well as those in public sector undertakings.

BJP leaders have criticized the Telangana government's decision. Amit Malviya, head of the BJP's IT Cell, described the move as "blatant appeasement", and asked why similar concessions were not extended during Hindu festivals like Navratri. Senior BJP leader P Muralidhar Rao echoed this sentiment, and accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of prioritizing one community and engaging in "vote bank politics".

However, a similar order allowing Muslims to leave early was enacted in Andhra Pradesh, where the BJP is part of the ruling coalition. The BJP did not object to that, prompting Nizamuddin to label the BJP's stance in Telangana as hypocritical and opportunistic.

Challenging the criticism by the Telangana unit of the party, the TPCC spokesperson questioned the lack of objections from T Raja Singh and Malviya over the identical policy in Andhra Pradesh, and said that the party's selective outrage was driven by political motives rather than genuine concern.

Nizamuddin said that the Telangana government was committed to inclusivity and progress without succumbing to communal biases, and that it rejected the BJP's divisive politics.