A video of women washing the feet of Miss World contestants at Ramappa Temple in Telangana has sparked controversy. Opposition parties BRS and BJP criticised the act, deeming it disrespectful and humiliating, especially for local women. BRS labelled the incident as “appalling,” while the BJP described it as indicative of a colonial mindset.
A video showing women washing the feet of Miss World contestants at Ramappa Temple in Telangana on Thursday has stirred controversy, with opposition parties Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly criticising the act, calling it disrespectful to the women of Telangana. The footage, reportedly filmed at the historic Ramappa Temple in Mulugu district—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—shows women, said to be volunteers, assisting the beauty pageant contestants in rinsing their feet and gently drying them with towels.
The contestants, dressed in sarees, visited the historical Ramappa Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of their heritage tour in the state on Wednesday.
The incident, described as “appalling” by the BRS, involved local Dalit, tribal, and economically disadvantaged women being “forced to wash and wipe” the feet of foreign beauty pageant participants. In a press release, the party said the act has sparked widespread outrage across Telangana and dealt a serious blow to the state’s sense of dignity and self-respect.
“Congress CM has officially lost his mind,” BRS Working President KT Rama Rao said, reposting the video in his ‘X’ handle.
Meanwhile, the BJP called the incident symptomatic of a deeper malaise in the Congress party’s mindset. “In a shocking display of servility, the Telangana Congress government made local women wash and wipe the feet of Miss World contestants, a humiliating act that reeks of a colonial-era mindset,” Telangana BJP chief G Kishan Reddy said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, the Miss World organisation described the ritual as a traditional gesture symbolising mutual respect, emphasising the spiritual and cultural importance of the visit to the temple.