BJP MP slams Congress for ‘restricting’ Bathukamma at Charminar

The event was held after permission was granted by Justice B Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court in response to a plea filed by BJP state Mahila Morcha president V Shilpa Reddy.

Hyderabad: Mahabubnagar BJP MP DK Aruna said that Bathukamma celebrations should not require court permission and slammed the Congress-led Telangana government over the matter. She made the remarks during the festival event organized by the BJP Mahila Morcha near Charminar on Friday evening, October 4.

Aruna expressed her disappointment that the High Court had to intervene to allow the Bathukamma festival to take place at the Bhagyalakshmi temple, stating that it is “regrettable for women to have to seek legal permission to celebrate their cultural heritage.”

The event was held after permission was granted by Justice B Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court in response to a plea filed by BJP state Mahila Morcha president V Shilpa Reddy, requesting the court for permission to conduct a Bathukamma event at the Bhagyalaxmi temple.

The event took place near the Bhagyalakshmi temple and the court permitted not more than 100 participants and a time frame between 4 pm and 6 pm.

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The court instructed the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Charminar, to enforce strict conditions for the celebration. The court also prohibited the use of DJ music and that the event must not feature any political speeches.

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Controversy around Bhagyalaxmi temple

The Bhagyalaxmi temple, located adjacent to the historic Charminar, is the subject of ongoing legal and political controversy regarding its legitimacy.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has classified the temple as an unauthorized construction, asserting that it was built post-1959, which violates the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR) of 1958.

This act designates a prohibited area of 100 meters around protected monuments, including Charminar, where any new construction is illegal without prior permission from the ASI.