The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Andhra Pradesh has announced that Muslim employees will be allowed to leave work an hour early during the holy month of Ramzan, mirroring a similar decision by the Congress-led government in neighboring Telangana. The order, issued on February 11, permits all Muslim government employees, including those on contract and working in village and ward secretariats, to leave work an hour before the official closing time from March 2 to 30.
According to the government order, “The government permits all employees who profess Islam, including teachers and persons hired on contract, outsourcing basis, and village/ward secretaries, to leave their offices/schools early by an hour before closing time on all working days during the holy month of Ramzan, from March 2 to 30, to perform necessary rituals as per guidelines issued by the concerned authorities, except when their presence is required due to exigencies of services.”
A similar order in Telangana, issued on February 15 by Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, grants Muslim employees early leave at 4.00 pm from March 2 to 31. The order applies to government employees, teachers, contract workers, and employees in state-run boards, corporations, and public sector undertakings. They are expected to stay back only “when their presence is required due to exigencies of services during the above period.”
The announcement in Telangana quickly became a political flashpoint, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the Congress government of “appeasement politics”.
BJP MLA Raja Singh was among the first to attack the move, stating, “The Telangana government allows early leave for Ramzan but ignores Hindu festivals. Equal rights for all, or none.”
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya also criticised the decision, calling it “tokenism” and arguing that similar exemptions were not made for Hindu employees who observe fasts during Navratri. “The appeasement bug strikes the Congress government in Telangana, which has approved relaxed work hours for Muslim state employees during Ramzan. No such concessions are ever granted to Hindus when they fast during Navratri. This tokenism isn’t about being sensitive to the religious beliefs of one community but about reducing them to a mere vote bank. It should be opposed.” he said.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar also questioned why similar considerations were not given to Hindu devotees observing ‘Ayyappa Deeksha,’ a 41-day vow of devotion to Lord Ayyappa. “Ayyappa devotees find it difficult to observe the guidelines to the 'Deeksha' as they have to carry out the responsibilities of their job. Why is such an exemption given only to those celebrating Ramzan? We are called communal when we ask such questions,” Kumar said at an event in Mancherial town.
The Telangana government defended its decision, with Mohammed Ali Shabbir, the state government’s adviser on minority affairs, dismissing the BJP’s reaction as “selective outrage”. He noted that the provision for early leave during Ramzan existed under the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government and has also been implemented by BJP-led governments in other states. “The facility was given during the BRS regime. Many BJP governments also offer this in other states. It’s not new and has been in place for years,” Shabbir said.
Meanwhile, the decision in Andhra Pradesh, where the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leads the state government and is an ally of the BJP in the NDA at the Union, has not attracted as much criticism from the saffron party.