Indian politics has for too long survived on one self-serving myth: that those who appease minorities are secular, while those who refuse to bow to votes are communal. But suddenly, the mask has slipped, not because the BJP exposed it, but because the Chief Minister of Telangana, A. Revanth Reddy, himself confessed the truth in a moment of arrogance.
Speaking at a bypoll campaign meeting in Jubilee Hills, he declared that “Muslims are nothing without Congress.” In that one sentence, he revealed his party’s real mindset. He implied that millions of Indian Muslims are helpless and unsafe in India unless Congress controls power — an insult both to the intelligence of Muslim citizens and to the integrity of the Indian nation. That remark put a spotlight on the power game Congress has played for 70 years: generate fear among Muslims and then sell itself as their only saviour. That is not secularism; that is emotional blackmail for electoral profits.
It was Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar who called out this hypocrisy bluntly. He questioned whether wearing a skullcap during elections just to fool a section of the electorate now qualifies as secular credentials. Sanjay is not new to political combat. As BJP’s former state president, he electrified the party base with fiery speeches and mass outreach, making the party a realistic contender for power in Telangana. But once the BJP began expanding, the Congress and its friendly media launched a fresh narrative to paint him as divisive, while conveniently ignoring their own theatrics of religious appeasement. His latest critique has rattled Congress because it strikes at their weakest spot: their false ownership of secularism.
If Congress wants to claim it alone protects Muslims, it must answer the real question: who created the fear in the first place? Who presided over the worst communal riots this country has seen? For decades under Congress rule, India saw a long and bloody list — Meerut, Bhagalpur, Delhi, Hyderabad’s Old City again and again — where lives were lost while governments looked the other way. By contrast, after 2014, the number of major riots has drastically fallen. Terror modules in UP and Telangana have been smashed. Even in Hyderabad, a city once synonymous with communal tensions every election season, peace has largely prevailed under the strong security policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre. This is secularism in practice — equal safety for all, not slogans and skullcaps.
Congress still clings to the Godhra riots to claim that the BJP is anti-Muslim. But the Supreme Court has already ruled clearly that there was no conspiracy by Narendra Modi or Amit Shah. Riots began only after a mob set fire to a train coach in Godhra, killing innocent pilgrims returning from Ayodhya. Even former senior officials like R.K. Singh later revealed that political motives guided the attempt to frame Modi and Amit Shah. Yet Modi was targeted, demonised and prosecuted for years — but the people of India returned him to power with a stronger mandate, rejecting the Congress-manufactured fiction. Today, the same man is steering India into a new era of global respect and internal security. Courts have spoken. History has moved on. It is only Congress that cannot.
Meanwhile, in Telangana, Congress has added a new cheerleader to its appeasement politics — former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin. He rushed to defend the Chief Minister’s remarks and justified wearing skullcaps to woo voters by saying openly that Congress supports Muslims and that there is nothing wrong in it. This is the same Azharuddin who contested Jubilee Hills last year and lost despite nearly 1.7 lakh Muslim voters in the constituency. If he truly had support, why did he avoid elections this time and instead sneak into the cabinet through the Governor’s quota? A minister without a mandate preaching democracy — another Congress trademark. He even cited that Congress has always made Muslim Education Ministers, as if that were a badge of pride. In reality, it is during that period that Indian history textbooks were distorted to glorify invaders and erase Indian civilizational truth. That is not empowerment; that is indoctrination for political servitude.
Bandi Sanjay, in contrast, has taken a clear, uncompromising stand: respect every faith, but never beg for votes by acting like a staged devotee. “I would rather cut off my own head than seek votes through religious appeasement,” he declared. The BJP’s claim has remained steady — no discrimination in welfare, no fear-based politics, and zero tolerance for radicalism. The party does not hide behind skullcaps or clerical endorsements. Its leaders seek votes on governance, not guilt trips.
The upcoming Jubilee Hills bypoll on November 11 is more than a contest for one assembly seat. It will show whether voters, especially the majority Hindus, including over 35,000 Andhra settlers in the constituency, have seen through the Congress script of fear and appeasement. BRS too has played the same vote-bank game for years, dividing society and wrecking the state’s finances in the name of minority welfare. Telangana has paid the price. Now, voters have a choice: reward those who tell them they are nothing, or support those who tell them they are strong.
So, who is truly secular? A party that keeps minorities constantly frightened so it can claim to be their protector? Or a party that insists that every Indian — Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, anyone — is secure under one flag and one Constitution? And who is the real divider? Those who say Muslims must stay loyal to one political dynasty for survival, or those who believe that all faiths deserve dignity without being turned into vote banks?
The Congress mask has fallen. Now, the electorate must decide whether to accept the truth or continue living under the Congress-manufactured fiction that secularism means surrendering to fear.
