Rahul Gandhi’s presence at Messi event criticised as PR stunt by BRS MLC Sravan

Hyderabad: BRS MLC Dr Dasoju Sravan Kumar on Sunday sharply criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for attending the Lionel Messi event in Hyderabad. He called it a “scandalous, state-sponsored PR spectacle” designed to distract the public from the Congress government’s failures in Telangana.

In an open letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi as Leader of the Opposition, Sravan said the ₹100-crore event was not a cultural celebration. Instead, he described it as a “carefully choreographed commercial show” aimed at boosting Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s public image. He accused the state government of masking serious issues like farmer distress, youth unemployment, and broken promises.

“You are not just another political leader. You are the constitutional counterweight to executive power,” Sravan wrote. He warned that Gandhi’s presence at the event unintentionally legitimised a government that, in his view, had failed its people.

Sravan said the Congress ignored real governance while focusing on celebrity optics. He claimed the party used the event to divert attention from its shortcomings. “Your presence, unfortunately, lent legitimacy to the failures of this government,” he added.

Sravan says visuals at event built false political hierarchy

Sravan argued that the event’s visuals were staged to project Revanth Reddy as Telangana’s central figure while sidelining Gandhi. “In modern politics, who stands where and who engages directly with icons is never accidental,” he wrote. He said such imagery had political weight and influenced public perception more than speeches.

He described the event as “a perverted form of Praja Palana,” where the Congress prioritised public image over governance. According to Sravan, the party tried to reshape internal hierarchy, placing the Chief Minister above national leaders.

Sravan appreciated Gandhi’s dignity and his decision not to politicise a cultural event. However, he warned that silence in such moments allowed misleading narratives to spread. “You appeared with modesty but were symbolically sidelined,” he observed.

In closing, Sravan urged Gandhi to assert his constitutional authority. He asked him to hold the Telangana Chief Minister accountable. “Democracy is not defended only in Parliament, but also through the symbols that influence public thought,” Sravan wrote.