BJP Silent on Ramzan Timings in Andhra Pradesh: Telangana Congress Criticizes
Hyderabad, 19 February – (www.deccanlive.com): On February 18, Syed Nizamuddin, spokesperson for the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its silence on the Ramzan leave order issued by the Telangana government. The order allows Muslim employees to leave work at 4 p.m. during the holy month of Ramzan.
Nizamuddin called the BJP’s response a “classic case of hypocrisy and communal opportunism,” pointing out that the BJP, which is part of the ruling alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh, had no objections when a similar order was issued there. He said, “Both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments have allowed Muslim employees to leave at 4 p.m. during Ramzan.”
In a press conference, Nizamuddin questioned the BJP’s double standards. He said, “In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP stays quiet while the same leave order is passed. But in Telangana, they cry ‘appeasement.’ Why is BJP MLA Raja Singh silent there? Why isn’t Amit Malviya, BJP’s IT Cell head, attacking the Andhra government?”
Nizamuddin also reminded everyone that this practice of allowing Muslim employees to leave early during Ramzan has been in place for almost 50 years, both in Telangana and the undivided Andhra Pradesh. “Since the 1980s, two orders have been issued every Ramzan—one for Muslim employees and one for allowing shops to stay open late. Even during Chandrababu Naidu’s rule, this continued. Was the BJP unaware all these years?” he asked.
