Controversies mar every high-profile event of Congress government
The Congress government’s flagship events, the Bharat Summit, Miss World pageant and Gaddar Film Awards, have sparked controversies ranging from diplomatic blunders to cultural insensitivity. Critics accuse the government of misplaced priorities amid financial distress and mounting public welfare demands.
Hyderabad: Nothing seems to be going right for the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in Telangana. From schemes to promises and now, even high-profile events, everything the State government has attempted, have all backfired.
Take the case of the government’s high-profile events, the Bharat Summit, the Miss World 2024 pageant and the Telangana Gaddar Film Awards, all have drawn sharp criticism for controversies and perceived misplacement of administrative priorities. This was despite all these being billed as grand showcases of Telangana’s global and cultural image.
The Bharat Summit 2025, hosted on April 25 and 26 with public funds, was projected as a global conclave. It is said to have attracted over 350 delegates including corporate executives, policymakers, and academics from 100 countries.
However, controversy erupted even before the event began, over the involvement of Samruddha Bharat Foundation, an organisation reportedly aligned with Congress ideology.
Adding to the embarrassment, top Congress leaders, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, skipped the inaugural session.
Despite the government’s claim that the summit, themed “Delivering Global Justice,” was a success, critics pointed to the lack of tangible benefits and a major diplomatic faux pas. Posters at the venue omitted Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) and Ladakh from the Indian map.
After videos of these visuals went viral, organisers quietly removed the posters. The spending of nearly Rs.30 crore for the event is also now a controversy, with critics asking how the government could pay from the public exchequer for what was nothing more than a Congress party event.
The summit controversy was followed by the 72nd Miss World contest, held from May 10 to May 31, with 109 contestants from across the globe. The event hit global headlines when Miss England Milla Magee withdrew from the competition on May 16, alleging exploitation.
In an interview with The Sun, Magee said she felt “like a prostitute” and accused organisers of “farming out” contestants to entertain event sponsors. Public outrage intensified after a ritual held at Ramappa Temple, where local women were made to wash the feet of Miss World participants. The incident triggered widespread criticism and raised questions about the government’s cultural sensitivity and event management.
Critics also raised concerns about the timing of these extravagant events, given that the government had earlier cited financial constraints in clearing retired employees’ dues, for capital expenditure worth Rs. 500 crore every month, and disbursing student fee reimbursements.
The Telangana Gaddar Film Awards, presented on June 14 with much fanfare were no exception. Named after revolutionary balladeer and former Maoist ideologue Gaddar, the awards sparked a political war of words between the Congress and BJP.
Responding to the State’s appeal to confer a Padma Shri posthumously on Gaddar, union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay firmly ruled it out. Revanth Reddy retaliated, warning that if BJP leaders continued to insult Gaddar, the street housing the BJP State office would be renamed in his honour.
The event also saw the conspicuous absence of several notable personalities. Further controversy broke out when activists demanded withdrawal of an award presented to the film ‘Razakaar:
The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad’.
Revanth Reddy’s attempt to cosy up to the Telugu film world after his vitriolic outburst against stars including Allu Arjun, also backfired. Allu Arjun, whom Revanth Reddy had blamed in the Assembly for the Sandhya Theatre stampede, had the last laugh, taking the award for the best actor from Revanth Reddy himself and delivering a mass dialogue in front of him from the same movie ‘Pushpa-2’, which many interpreted as a jab at the Chief Minister.
