Political storm in Telangana over women washing Miss World contestants' feet

Hyderabad

A video showing local Telangana women assisting Miss World contestants to wash their feet at a temple has triggered a political storm in the state. Opposition parties of BJP and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) accused the Congress government of insulting the dignity of Indian women and reviving colonial-era attitudes.

The footage, reportedly filmed at the historic Ramappa Temple in Mulugu district — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — shows women, reported to be volunteers, helping the beauty pageant contestants rinse their feet and even patting them dry with towels.

The ritual, as described by the Miss World organisation on social media, was part of a traditional purification practice before entering sacred temple grounds. According to their official Instagram post, this act was meant to “cleanse the physical and spiritual self” and was presented as a mark of respect for the local customs.

The BRS condemned Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and the Congress government, calling the act “a disgraceful and humiliating spectacle” that struck at the very core of Telangana’s self-respect. Senior BRS women leaders including former ministers Sabitha Indra Reddy, Satyavati Rathod, Sunita Laxma Reddy, and MLA Kova Laxmi wrote an open letter to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi demanding an unconditional apology.

They alleged that Dalit, tribal and economically vulnerable women were “forced” to perform these acts of service, calling it a betrayal of the ideals on which the Telangana statehood movement was built. “Reducing Telangana’s daughters to mere props for a publicity stunt is unacceptable,” the letter said, warning that such actions, if left unaddressed, could alienate the four crore people of the state, especially its women.