BRS slams Congress over Donald Trump Avenue plan in Hyderabad
Synopsis
The Congress party finds itself in an awkward position: its national spokesperson calls Trump's administration condescending toward India, while its Telangana government prepares to name a road after the same US President. BRS has seized on the contradiction with an open letter to Rahul Gandhi, framing it as a case of 'private franchisee politics' overriding national ideology.
Key Takeaways
BRS leader Dasoju Sravan Kumar wrote an open letter to Rahul Gandhi on 22 June , accusing Congress of 'political hypocrisy'.
The Telangana government, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy , is set to inaugurate 'Donald Trump Avenue' in Hyderabad's Financial District on 23 June .
The road is located adjacent to the US Consulate in Hyderabad.
The AICC issued a statement on 20 June accusing the Trump administration of treating India 'with condescension' and speaking in a 'language of command, not partnership'.
Sravan Kumar questioned whether Congress has a 'uniform ideological anchor' or pursues 'different values for each state'.
BRS leader Dasoju Sravan Kumar has written an open letter to Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, accusing the Indian National Congress (INC) of 'political hypocrisy' over the Telangana government's plan to unveil a road named after US President Donald Trump in Hyderabad. The letter, issued on 22 June, targets the sharp contradiction between the Congress party's national posture on Trump and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's decision to formally inaugurate 'Donald Trump Avenue' in the city's Financial District.
The Core Accusation
Sravan Kumar stated he was writing not to embarrass Gandhi but to expose what he described as 'private franchisee politics' being practised by the Telangana Congress government. He argued that Revanth Reddy's actions stand in direct opposition to the ideological positions the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and Gandhi himself espouse at the national level.
'There is a serious clash between the ideological principles the grand old Indian National Congress Party preaches at the national level and the political theatre it is currently practising at the state level in Telangana,' Sravan Kumar wrote in the letter.
The AICC Statement That Triggered the Letter
The BRS leader cited an AICC release issued on 20 June, in which the party launched a pointed attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's foreign policy. AICC national spokesperson Pawan Khera had stated that the Trump administration 'treats India with condescension, repeatedly insults India, and speaks in a language of command, not partnership.'
Sravan Kumar argued that Revanth Reddy's decision to name a road after Trump — scheduled for inauguration on 23 June, in Hyderabad's Financial District adjacent to the US Consulate — directly contradicts this official Congress position.
The Ideological Contradiction at the Centre
'Delhi's sovereignty rhetoric versus Hyderabad's road theatrics. Where does the Indian National Congress stand on Donald Trump? Has Revanth Congress replaced national ideology with private franchisee politics?' the BRS leader asked in the letter.
He questioned whether the Congress possesses a 'uniform ideological anchor' or adopts 'different values for each state to fulfil political opportunism beyond the control of the AICC or CWC.' The letter frames the episode as symptomatic of a broader disconnect between the Congress high command in New Delhi and its state government in Hyderabad.
Political Context
The move to name a road after Trump comes at a moment of heightened India-US trade tensions, with tariff disputes and visa restrictions generating friction between the two governments. Critics argue the naming is a diplomatic gesture aimed at attracting US investment to Hyderabad's Financial District, though the Telangana government has not officially detailed the rationale. The BRS, which lost power in Telangana to the Congress in the 2023 assembly elections, has been mounting sustained pressure on the Revanth Reddy administration. This open letter represents the party's latest attempt to highlight internal contradictions within the ruling party. The Congress has not publicly responded to Sravan Kumar's letter as of the time of this report.
Point of View
And state governments that operate on local political and economic calculus. The AICC's own June 20 statement makes the contradiction unusually stark this time — it is hard to argue Trump 'speaks in a language of command, not partnership' in New Delhi while rolling out a red carpet for him in Hyderabad. For BRS, this is an opportunistic but legitimate attack line. The deeper question is whether the Congress high command will intervene or let Telangana proceed — and what that choice signals about the party's internal discipline ahead of future electoral cycles.
NationPress
23 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Donald Trump Avenue in Hyderabad?
'Donald Trump Avenue' is a road in Hyderabad's Financial District, located adjacent to the US Consulate, which the Congress-led Telangana government planned to formally inaugurate on 23 June. The naming has drawn political controversy due to the Congress party's simultaneous national criticism of the Trump administration.
Why has BRS criticised the Congress over this road naming?
BRS leader Dasoju Sravan Kumar accused Congress of political hypocrisy, pointing out that the AICC's own spokesperson had on 20 June condemned the Trump administration for treating India 'with condescension', while the party's Telangana government was simultaneously honouring Trump with a road in Hyderabad.
What did the AICC say about Donald Trump before this controversy?
On 20 June, the AICC issued a statement attacking the BJP government's foreign policy, with national spokesperson Pawan Khera stating that the Trump administration treats India with condescension, repeatedly insults India, and speaks in a 'language of command, not partnership.'
Who is Dasoju Sravan Kumar?
Dasoju Sravan Kumar is a leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the opposition party in Telangana that governed the state before losing to the Congress in the 2023 assembly elections. He addressed the open letter directly to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Has the Congress responded to the BRS letter?
As of the time of this report, the Congress party had not publicly responded to Sravan Kumar's open letter accusing it of political hypocrisy over the Trump Avenue inauguration.
