Telangana Tourism Minister dismisses Miss World controversy as opposition propaganda

Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao dismissed allegations surrounding the Miss World pageant as opposition propaganda. He clarified spending figures and denied wrongdoing, while admitting an internal enquiry had taken place. The state claims the Miss World organisation is handling the issue.

Hyderabad: Amid ongoing criticism over controversies during the recent Miss World pageant, especially allegations made by Miss England, Milla Magee, Telangana Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao dismissed the issue, calling it false propaganda by the Opposition.

“Nothing happened, and there was no issue at all. No committee was constituted. If there really was a problem, why did 108 participants continue in the competition?” the Minister questioned at a press conference on Tuesday.

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However, contradicting his earlier denial, the Minister admitted that an internal enquiry had been conducted by Tourism Special Secretary Jayesh Ranjan. When asked why the State government was not releasing CCTV footage related to the alleged incident, he said the matter was being handled by the Miss World organization, and the State government had no involvement.

The Minister also alleged that Opposition parties were running a malicious campaign by claiming that Rs 200 crore was spent on the event. He clarified that only Rs 31 crore was actually spent, of which Rs 21 crore came from sponsors. The remaining Rs 12 crore, he added, was also a committed sponsorship amount yet to be paid.

Regarding the dinner hosted at Chowmahalla Palace, he stated that the cost was Rs 8,250 per plate plus taxes, contrary to exaggerated claims made by the Opposition.