Hyderabad, 14 August
Revanth Reddy’s Remarks on Minority Students, Old City Power Theft Draw Flak
Telangana CM faces criticism over comments on minority students, free electricity and alleged power theft in Hyderabad’s Old City
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has drawn criticism on social media over his remarks about minority students and electricity consumption in Hyderabad’s Old City during the Minorities Excellence Summit in Banjara Hills on Thursday, August 13.
Speaking at the event held at Adivasi Bhavan, Reddy said students from minority institutions could demonstrate strong practical skills but struggled to retain lessons from books.
“Students from the minority institutions can reassemble a Rafale fighter if they are asked to. However, they forget lessons from books,” Reddy said.
The remarks triggered criticism, with several social media users questioning the Chief Minister’s characterisation of minority students and the context in which the comments were made.
Revanth Reddy’s remarks on minority students spark controversy
Reddy described children from minority communities as “skilled labourers” and said they were capable of learning through practical experience rather than from books.
His comments drew backlash from critics who argued that such a broad characterisation could reinforce stereotypes about the educational abilities of minority students.
The remarks were also questioned because the summit was organised to recognise the achievements and excellence of minority students, including candidates who had worked towards qualifying in competitive examinations.
Critics said the comments appeared out of place at an event intended to encourage and celebrate students’ achievements.
CM Revanth Reddy comments on Old City power theft
Reddy also spoke about the Gruha Jyothi scheme, under which eligible households receive free electricity for consumption of up to 200 units.
While discussing electricity supply in Hyderabad’s Old City, the Chief Minister referred to concerns over power theft and allegations of residents not paying electricity bills.
Reddy said the free electricity scheme had particularly benefited people from minority communities.
“Today I can proudly say that the free electricity scheme benefited people from the minorities the most,” he said.
The combination of his comments on minority students and his remarks about electricity consumption in the Old City has sparked further debate over the way minority communities were discussed at the summit.
Revanth Reddy attacks BJP and BRS over minority reservation
The Chief Minister also used the event to highlight the Congress government’s position on Muslim reservation and criticise the BJP and the previous BRS government.
Reddy said Congress had treated Hindus and Muslims as “two eyes” of the government and referred to the four per cent reservation provided to Muslims during the tenure of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy.
He claimed the Congress government had faced opposition over the reservation and approached the High Court and Supreme Court to defend it.
Reddy also referred to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Chevella and alleged that Shah had said the BJP would scrap Muslim reservation if it came to power.
The Chief Minister said secular forces would oppose any such move as long as Congress remained active in the country.
Revanth Reddy raises concerns over SIR voter revision
Reddy also raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
He alleged that opposition parties were attempting to delete lakhs of voters from Telangana’s electoral rolls ahead of the next Assembly elections.
Referring to the voter-roll revision exercise in West Bengal, Reddy urged people to ensure that the names of all eligible voters remain on the electoral rolls.
He also alleged that “political forces in Gujarat” had turned their attention towards Telangana.
However, his comments about minority students and the Old City power theft issue remained the main focus of the controversy surrounding the summit.