The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha celebrated the traditional Bathukamma festival at the Bhagyalakshmi Temple in Hyderabad’s Old City. MP DK Aruna participated in the event and offered special prayers to the Goddess. She also conveyed her wishes to the women who were part of the celebration.
However, the police abruptly stopped the festivities, citing a lack of permission and allowing the celebration only until 6 PM. This decision angered MP DK Aruna, who expressed her frustration with the Congress government.
DK Aruna made sharp remarks, questioning the need for permission to celebrate Bathukamma, a festival deeply rooted in Telangana’s culture. She criticized the Congress government, stating, “One dictator left, but now it seems another has taken his place.” She argued that the government was failing to respect the state’s traditions.
Aruna accused the current leadership of undermining Telangana’s cultural heritage. She compared the situation to the previous regime under KCR, saying, “A dictatorship worse than KCR’s regime is being imposed now.”
She posed several questions to the government, asking why playing Bathukamma could be seen as a law and order problem and why there was a need for court permission to celebrate the festival. She also questioned if this was the type of governance the people of Telangana had voted for.
In a warning to Congress leader Revanth Reddy, Aruna said, “Don’t provoke the Goddess with such wrong decisions.” She challenged the government, asking, “What harm does it cause if women celebrate Bathukamma during Navratri? This is our tradition!”
In addition to criticizing the handling of the Bathukamma festival, DK Aruna condemned recent remarks made by Minister Konda Surekha about actress Samantha and the Akkineni family. Aruna called these comments inappropriate, especially coming from a woman in a high office. She stressed that personal matters, such as divorce, should not be brought into political discussions.
Aruna praised Samantha for her achievements in the film industry and emphasized that personal attacks were unwarranted. She also criticized Surekha’s comments about KTR, stating that while political criticism is acceptable, personal attacks have no place in governance. DK Aruna urged leaders to be mindful of their words, warning that such remarks derail the focus on governance.