Bonalu cheques, Congress protocol, same chaos
A cheque-distribution event in Secunderabad turned into a Congress–BRS shove-fest over “protocol”, with police stepping in before leaders resumed handing out money meant for temples. Telangana gets the festival; the Congress gets in its own way.
A Bonalu cheque-distribution programme in Secunderabad was disrupted by a protocol dispute before resuming.
Telangana Today reported that a Bonalu cheque-distribution programme at Madhuranagar Community Hall, Secunderabad, on August 7, 2026, was derailed by a protocol fight between Congress and BRS leaders. According to that report, Rs 1.10 crore across 212 cheques had been released for the constituency’s temples.
Per the report, Congress MLC Balmuri Venkat and local Congress leaders began distributing cheques before BRS MLA T. Padma Rao Goud — who they said was scheduled to do the honours — arrived. Arguments followed, slogans flew, and Chilakalaguda police stepped in. Telangana Today says Padma Rao and Venkat later distributed cheques together and the programme limped back on track.
There’s video embedded with the report of the ruckus. What we do not yet have is an official programme note or an Endowments Department order laying out who was authorised to distribute cheques, or a police statement on the incident. The 2025 Secunderabad Bonalu saw a similar Congress–BRS dust-up over “protocol” at a different venue and with a slightly different amount reported; that is a separate episode and should not be mixed with this one.
The money is for Bonalu; the spectacle was for the Congress. Telangana’s temples can do without the photo-op tug-of-war next time.