RAJANNA-SIRCILLA: BRS working president and MLA KT Rama Rao performed a special Hanuman pooja and offered ‘biksha’ (Anna Prasadam) to devotees at Telangana Bhavan in Sircilla town on Wednesday.
This gesture, the first such display of devotional sentiment by the BRS leader, has sparked political debate across the region.
As the event came at a crucial juncture ahead of local body elections, the BJP leaders alleged that the BRS is strategically using religious sentiments to counter the saffron party’s growing influence among Hindu voters.
The Telangana Bhavan was decorated with banana and mango leaves, and tents were erected to accommodate the gathering. Hundreds of devotees attended the pooja and received prasadam.
Media restrictions
Rama Rao, along with the devotees, sat on the floor to partake in the offering. However, media access to the event was restricted, and only videos and photos shared by party workers were released to the public.
Meanwhile, Congress Sircilla in-charge KK Mahender Reddy stated that while there’s nothing wrong in offering ‘biksha’ out of personal devotion, he criticised Rama Rao for neglecting public issues.
“He is trying to align with the BJP to avoid action in cases pending against him. Suddenly, we hear slogans like ‘Jai Sri Ram’ and ‘Jai Hanuman’—this is political, not spiritual,” Mahender Reddy alleged.
He also pointed out that major works in the Kaleshwaram project, specifically packages 9 and 10, remained incomplete under the previous BRS tenure.
BJP district president Reddaboina Gopi accused Rama Rao of playing vote-bank politics. “A few days ago, he criticised the ‘Jai Sri Ram’ chants and Ayodhya Akshintalu issue. Now he is trying to get closer to Hindu voters with new tactics, sensing a decline in support since the last Assembly elections,” he alleged.
Later in the day, Rama Rao also took part in Lord Venkateshwara Swamy Brahmotsavalu at Malakpeta in the Vemulawada Assembly constituency.