Bathukamma celebrations draw huge crowds in Dubai as KCR slogans echo

Bathukamma celebrations organised by ETCA in Dubai drew Telangana expatriates and several BRS leaders on Sunday. Attendees participated in traditional dances and raised slogans supporting K. Chandrashekar Rao. K. T. Rama Rao, advertised as chief guest, did not attend the event

By Gulf Correspondent

Dubai: A large number of Telangana expatriates, including women, turned out to celebrate Bathukamma, Telangana’s floral festival, in Dubai on Sunday.

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Families from different emirates travelled to Dubai to attend the event organised by the local Telangana NRI organisation, ETCA. Women dressed in traditional attire gathered at the venue to participate in Bathukamma dances and sing in praise of Goddess Gouramma.

The event showcased Telangana’s rich cultural heritage and reflected the affection of some attendees towards BRS president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR). Slogans of “Saaru Kavaali, Kaaru Ravaali” — calling for KCR’s return to power — echoed through the venue.

Organisers had widely publicised BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) as the chief guest, which some observers said may have contributed to the large turnout. Some of his supporters arrived carrying portraits of KTR in one hand and buckets of Bathukamma flowers in the other. However, KTR, who had been advertised as the chief guest at the high-profile event, did not attend.

Several senior BRS leaders from the Nizamabad parliamentary constituency also travelled to Dubai for the celebrations. The leaders, including MLAs, reportedly faced difficulty entering the hall amid the crowds.

MLAs Vemula Prashant Reddy and K. Sanjay, along with former MLA A. Jeevan Reddy, joined young attendees in dancing on stage. Jeevan Reddy also walked through the venue playing a traditional drum alongside a cultural troupe.

Addressing the gathering, Jeevan Reddy said the turnout left him wondering whether he was at a stadium in Hyderabad or in Dubai.

Indian Consul General Dr E. Vishnu Vardhan Reddy attended the event as a special guest.