Shabbir Ali says Congress is true architect of minority education in Telangana

Hyderabad: Advisor to the Telangana Government for SC, ST, OBC and Minorities, Mohammed Ali Shabbir, on Tuesday asserted that the Congress party was the true architect of minority education in Telangana. He stated that the Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS) was built on a framework originally envisioned by the Congress government under Dr Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy in 2007.

Shabbir Ali’s remarks came during Udaan 2025, a felicitation ceremony for TMREIS students who secured MBBS, BDS, and IIT admissions. He said the BRS government merely rebranded a Congress-initiated model. Moreover, he accused the BRS of failing to invest in the permanent infrastructure that was originally planned. The event at Banjara Bhavan was presided over by Minority Welfare Minister Adluri Lakshman Kumar. TMREIS President Md Faheem Qureshi and Minority Welfare Secretary Md Shafiullah also attended.

Recalling the policy framework, Shabbir Ali said the Congress government institutionalised minority education through government orders starting in 2006. He cited GO Ms. No. 34, issued on November 20, 2006, which created 12 pre-matric hostels for Muslim boys. He also mentioned GO Ms. No. 19, dated July 16, 2007, which sanctioned post-matric hostels in 13 districts. This was followed by GO Ms. No. 20 on July 17, 2007, approving 12 English Medium Residential Schools for Minority students.

Shabbir Ali contrasts BRS rental model with new campuses for minority education in Telangana

Shabbir Ali emphasized that the Congress vision included permanent buildings with full facilities. In contrast, during ten years of BRS rule, only 13 schools operated from their own premises. He noted 17 operated from government buildings and 204 from rented structures. He stated that the current Congress government under Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has already identified 80 land parcels to construct permanent TMREIS campuses. This, he said, marks a return to the original YSR-Congress vision.

He congratulated the TMREIS students for their achievements. This year they secured 36 free MBBS seats, 2 BDS seats, and several IIT admissions. He praised the dedication of teachers, principals, and staff. He described TMREIS as a disciplined, safe, and holistic residential system.

Shabbir Ali said the Congress government had already begun reversing the educational decline seen during the BRS regime. He claimed over 80 per cent of minority engineering and professional colleges were shut down under the BRS. In less than a year, the Revanth Reddy government has added 2,200 engineering seats in minority institutions. It also sanctioned a minority law college and two pharmacy colleges, while strengthening TMREIS operations.

He expressed confidence that the Congress government would restore TMREIS to its original mission. This includes quality education with permanent infrastructure and equal opportunity for all. “These students are the pride of Telangana’s minority community and a reminder of what visionary policy can achieve,” he said.