Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticises Rama Rao, state over temple funds
A leader from the BJP party named Bandi Sanjay Kumar went to a festival called Bonalu in Hyderabad, India.
The festival celebrates a Hindu goddess named Mahankali.
At the festival, he made fun of another leader named K.T. Rama Rao.
Rama Rao had recently visited a famous temple called Bhagyalakshmi.
Sanjay Kumar said the goddess must have given Rama Rao wisdom.
He also said the government gave too little money for the temple festival.
He said more than one lakh people came to celebrate, but the temple only got a small amount of money.
He compared this to the money given for other programmes, which he said was much larger.
He promised that if his party wins, it would hold bigger and better temple celebrations.
This shows how leaders sometimes argue about money and religion during festivals.
Union minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar mocked BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao's Bhagyalakshmi temple visit on Sunday, saying the deity had brought him 'wisdom'.
Speaking at Bonalu celebrations at the Lal Darwaza Simhavahini Mahankali temple in Hyderabad's Old City, Sanjay alleged only Rs 5.5 lakh was allocated for the festival despite over one lakh devotees attending.
He claimed the government set aside Rs 33 crore for Ramzan-related programmes but only Rs 20 crore for Bonalu, though Hindus form over 80 per cent of the state's population.
Sanjay accused the earlier BRS government of not fulfilling a promised Rs 20 crore for the Lal Darwaza Ujjaini Mahankali temple and alleged former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao deceived the Hindu community.
He promised grand BJP-led Bonalu celebrations in the Old City if the party wins power and said the Bhagyalakshmi temple would be developed on the lines of a 'Golden Temple'.
- Who
- Union minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar (BJP), who criticised BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao and the Telangana government; BJP MLA Rakesh Reddy and senior leader Manohar Reddy also visited the temple.
- What
- Sanjay Kumar criticised temple funding for Bonalu celebrations and mocked Rama Rao's visit to the Bhagyalakshmi temple.
- When
- Sunday, during the Bonalu celebrations.
- Where
- Lal Darwaza Simhavahini Mahankali temple in the Old City of Hyderabad; Sanjay also visited the Bhagyalakshmi Mandir at Charminar.
- Why
- Sanjay alleged the government neglected Hindu temples by allocating insufficient funds and by failing to deliver a promised Rs 20 crore for temple development.
BJP's Bandi Sanjay Kumar
Rama Rao and the Telangana government
Visiting the Bhagyalakshmi temple
BJP's Bandi Sanjay Kumar
Sanjay Kumar called the visit proof of the deity's 'immense power', saying Bhagyalakshmi Mata brought Rama Rao 'wisdom'.
Rama Rao and the Telangana government
Rama Rao had earlier ridiculed Sanjay's own visit to the temple during the GHMC elections, indicating he views such visits as political gestures.
Funding for Bonalu and temple development
BJP's Bandi Sanjay Kumar
Sanjay alleges the government allotted too little (Rs 5.5 lakh) for a festival attended by over one lakh devotees, gave Bonalu less than Ramzan-related programmes, and failed to deliver a promised Rs 20 crore for the Ujjaini Mahankali temple.
Rama Rao and the Telangana government
The government's allocation of Rs 20 crore for Bonalu and Rs 33 crore for Ramzan-related programmes reflects its stated spending priorities; no official rebuttal to Sanjay's allegations was reported.
- Event
- Bonalu celebrations at Lal Darwaza Simhavahini Mahankali temple
- Location
- Old City, Hyderabad
- Speaker
- Union minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar
- Alleged Bonalu allocation
- Rs 20 crore
- Alleged Ramzan allocation
- Rs 33 crore
- Festival grant for temple
- Rs 5.5 lakh
- Reported devotees
- Over one lakh
- Unfulfilled temple pledge
- Rs 20 crore promised for Lal Darwaza Ujjaini Mahankali temple