Monday marked the auspicious occasion of Rakhi Pournami, with politicians traditionally posting photographs of their sisters tying Rakhi on social media.
High-profile figures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao are often featured in mainstream media during this time.
However, for the first time, there have been no pictures of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao celebrating Raksha Bandhan with his sisters, who previously used to visit Pragati Bhavan in Begumpet to tie Rakhi on him.
Similarly, KTR, the BRS working president and former Telangana minister, did not share the usual Rakhi photo with his sister, Kalvakuntla Kavitha.
Kavitha has been in Tihar Jail in Delhi for the past five months in connection with the Delhi liquor policy scam, preventing her from celebrating Raksha Bandhan with her brother.
An emotional KTR posted on X: “You may not be able to tie Rakhi today, but I will be with you through thick and thin,” showing solidarity with Kavitha and reminiscing about past celebrations. He also shared a photo from last year’s Raksha Bandhan and one from a protest against her arrest on March 15.
YSR Congress Party president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also posted a Raksha Bandhan message on social media, which received heavy trolling from netizens.
Jagan’s tweet read: “Rakhi Pournami greetings to all my elder and younger sisters. I sincerely wish you progress politically, financially, and socially. I shall stand by you always in your journey. I believe that sisters play a crucial role in shaping a better future for every family.”
However, Jagan did not extend a personal wish to his sister Y. S. Sharmila, who has distanced herself from him and is now the president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee.
It has been a long time since Sharmila tied Rakhi on Jagan, and there were no personal wishes exchanged this year.
Netizens trolled Jagan for his Raksha Bandhan message.
One commenter asked, “Your own sister has left you. How can you claim you will stand by other sisters in the state?”
Another criticized the message as “420 talk,” accusing him of mistreating his own sister and others who questioned him.
Another user pointedly remarked, “Every other sister but @realyssharmila.”