Wed Mar 19 13:30:14 UTC 2025: ## Telangana’s Ruling Congress Faces Backlash Over Miss World Spending Amidst Financial Crisis

**Hyderabad, March 18, 2025** – Telangana’s ruling Congress government is facing intense criticism for allocating ₹200 crore to host the 72nd Miss World pageant while grappling with a reported ₹71,000 crore revenue shortfall. The opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has launched a scathing attack, highlighting the apparent contradiction between lavish spending and the government’s admission of insufficient funds to pay salaries and cover capital expenditure.

BRS lawmakers staged a protest in the state assembly on Tuesday, presenting dried crops to symbolize the alleged drought conditions exacerbated by the Congress government’s policies. They demanded that the funds earmarked for the pageant be instead used to provide financial relief to affected farmers, proposing ₹25,000 per acre in compensation.

The criticism has been spearheaded by BRS leader KT Rama Rao (KTR), who took to social media to question the government’s priorities. He highlighted the irony of prosecuting him for alleged irregularities in a ₹46 crore Formula-E race while simultaneously allocating a significantly larger sum to a beauty pageant. “Spending ₹46 crore for a Formula-E race was wrong… but spending ₹200 crore on Miss World is right? What is this perverse logic?” KTR questioned on X.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s recent admission of the state’s dire financial situation has further fueled the opposition’s outrage. Reddy acknowledged the significant revenue shortfall and the government’s struggle to meet its financial obligations.

While the BRS has accused the Congress of financial mismanagement and prioritizing unsustainable pre-election promises, the Congress government maintains it is working to address financial backlogs, citing the settlement of ₹10,000 crore in dues. Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Bhatti Vikramarka asserted the government is actively tackling these issues. However, the controversy surrounding the Miss World funding continues to dominate the political discourse in Telangana, with the BRS accusing the Congress of prioritizing optics over the needs of its citizens. The Chief Minister has countered these accusations, blaming the previous BRS government for leaving the state with a substantial public debt.

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