MAHESH AVADHUTHA I hyderabad

In a plot twist straight out of a Bollywood blockbuster, cricket icon and sidelined Congressman Mohammed Azharuddin has crash-landed in Telangana's power corridors. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy's induction of the former MP into the state cabinet—mere days before the high-stakes Jubilee Hills by-poll—has sent political ripples crashing through Hyderabad's teeming streets. Is this redemption for a betrayed community, or just cynical vote-juggling ahead of November's showdown? Metro India, the English daily that first blew the whistle on Muslim disillusionment, smells a rat—and a reckoning.

Flashback to September 29, 2025. Metro India's banner splash screamed the truth no one dared whisper: "Do Muslims Feel Betrayed?" It wasn't hyperbole; it was a gut-punch autopsy of Congress's post-2023 power grab. Telangana's 45 lakh Muslims—12% of the population and the election's kingmakers—had gambled big on Revanth's rainbow promises. In 40-odd seats where they tipped the scales, from Nampally's minarets to Mahbubnagar's dusty lanes, they delivered Congress 65 Assembly wins, shattering BRS's grip and confining BJP to a whimper. AIMIM clung to its Hyderabad fiefdom, but the real magic? Muslim consolidation outside the Old City, fueled by vows of waqf safeguards, fat budgets for minority welfare, and a seat at the table.

What they got? A slap in the face. Metro India's exposé laid bare the wreckage: Midnight bulldozers razing mosques in Kodangal, communal infernos torching madrasas while "protection" pledges turned to ash. The Minority Welfare Budget? Slashed 27% from BRS's Rs. 2,200 crore to a paltry, unspent Rs. 1,600 crore under Congress—starving schools, scholarships, and dreams. In Borabanda and Jubilee Hills, graveyard pleas met not empathy but bogus FIRs on masjid committees, turning grief into handcuffs. Shaadi Mubarak schemes? Dead on arrival. Fee reimbursements? Ghosts in the bureaucracy. Minority residential schools? Boarded up like forgotten relics.

But the real knife-twist? The systematic neutering of Muslim leadership. Metro India spotlighted three "halal" sacrifices on Congress's altar: Mohammed Shabbir Ali, the 4% reservation wizard who forfeited Kamareddy for Revanth's throne, only to be exiled to a toothless "advisory" role—no MLC, no ministry, just echoes of ingratitude. Amer Ali Khan, Siasat's firebrand editor who rallied Urdu hearts for Congress, dangled a Governor's MLC plum—then snared in High Court webs, sworn on a quashed gazette, and Supreme Court-suspended. Tokenism? More like treachery.

And Azharuddin? The article's heartbreak hero. In Jubilee Hills—where Muslims pack 35% of the ballot box—his star power screamed for a comeback ticket after 2023's sympathy-soaked loss. A cricket legend, ex-MP, Telangana Congress Working President: logic demanded his fielding. Instead? Shunted to the legal minefield of Governor's Quota MLC wars, allegedly to appease AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, who brooks no Muslim rivals.  

"Opportunity denied," Metro India thundered, painting Azhar as the final pawn in a game of AIMIM-Congress shadowboxing. Whispers swirled: Was Revanth channeling BJP's minority-muzzling playbook, all while high-command tiptoed around Rahul Gandhi's gaze?

Congress insiders fumed. "Secularism's funeral," one Muslim leader spat to Metro India. Accusations flew: Tacit pacts with Owaisi to monopolize Muslim votes, sidelining Shabbir and Amer for "secure" non-Muslim MLC slots like Mahesh Goud's or Vijayashanti's. Revanth, they charged, was "killing birds with one stone"—crushing rivals, dodging BJP probes, sealing Owaisi alliances, and preempting internal coups. The by-poll loomed as judgment day: Would Jubilee Hills' faithful forgive, or fuel a BRS sympathy surge on "lady factor" and KTR's heirloom?

Enter October 30: Azharuddin's cabinet slot. Dropped like a googly on the eve of polls, it's electrified the chattering classes. Opposition howls "Muslim appeasement!"—a desperate clutch at the 35% vote bank where BRS eyes a real-estate fueled upset. Metro India's scoop? Vindicated. "We called the betrayal; now watch the backpedal," says editor-in-chief, whose September clarion roused Hyderabadi Muslims from simmer to storm. Azhar, 63 and unbowed, grinned at his swearing-in: "Service to Telangana, always." But beneath the cheers, scars fester.

For Telangana's Muslims, it's bittersweet vindication. Metro India's impact? Seismic—sparking debates in drawing rooms, dailies, and WhatsApp war-rooms. It forced Congress's hand, turning exposé into elevation. Yet as Jubilee Hills' booths beckon, the question bites: Is this genuine course-correction, or election-eve elixir? Revanth's masterstroke may win the by-poll, mute critics, and rewrite alliances. Or it could unleash a KTR renaissance, new parties, and a Muslim mandate reborn in fury.

One thing's clear: In Telangana's treacherous turf wars, betrayal's sting lingers. Metro India didn't just report it—they ignited the fire. And Azharuddin's phoenix rise? Fuel for the blaze. Ballots drop soon; the real innings begins.

Metro India’s article on Muslims deprived by the Congress mentions about Azhar how he is being sidelined and about his MLC seat. It also mentioned the large number of voters in Jubilee Hills Constituency. The article helped Azhar. He was chosen by the AICC leadership giving a strong signal to the people in the Congress that loyalty to the party matters the most not to any individual. Azhar met Sonia and Rahul in New Delhi reportedly pleaded for his post.

Metro India also wrote about how DCC Presidents are selected ted by the AICC and how loyalty to the party plays an important role. The AICC is now establishing the direct contact with the leaders from the districts and not solely dependent on top leaders in party or the government.

Metro India now wants to know whether the AICC will give 33 per cent of DCC to women, which will be beneficial to the party in Telangana state.