In Telangana, the Congress has spoken the language of minority inclusion with great fluency; the 2023 campaign was saturated with that promise. But when the speeches are set against the ledgers, notifications, cabinet lists, and ground reports, a harsher truth appears. Symbolic gestures abound, but substantive delivery is scarce. If we ask minorities for their ballots, do we also give them budgets that reach, institutions that function, and a voice in decision-making? Or, are we witnessing a new grammar of governance — optics over outcomes?

Start with money, the hardest truth in public policy. For FY 2025–26, the state earmarked Rs 3,591 crore for the Minorities Welfare Department and even issued budget release orders of roughly Rs 2,496 crore. Yet the outflow to beneficiaries remains

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