Senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also absent.
Published Dec 09, 2025 | 4:15 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 09, 2025 | 5:22 PM
Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and CM Revanth Reddy. Credit: x.com/revanth_anumula
Synopsis: Telangana Rising Global Summit kicked off with far lower turnout than expected. PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, Priyanka, and almost all state chief ministers skipped the event. Only Karnataka DyCM DK Shivakumar and Union Minister Kishan Reddy represented outside Telangana. Despite hype of 3,000 global delegates, participation was mostly local. MoUs worth ₹2.43 lakh crore were announced amid doubts over execution.
Positioned as Telangana’s major international investment forum and envisioned as a counterpart to global platforms such as the World Economic Forum in Davos, the inaugural day of the two-day Telangana Rising Global Summit witnessed significantly lower participation than anticipated on Monday, 8 December.
The event, inaugurated at the Mirkhanpet grounds on Hyderabad’s outskirts, drew attention for the limited presence of top political leaders and global industry representatives, making what was projected as a high-powered gathering into a largely regional affair.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his cabinet had extended personal invitations to national and international leaders. However, key absentees included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who did not attend despite a direct invitation.
Senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also absent, citing commitments related to the ongoing Parliament session, including debates on national anthem issues and the IndiGo airline crisis.
State-level outreach also received a muted response. Although Telangana ministers reached out to chief ministers from most states, only Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar attended.
అమరుల ఆశయాలు…
ప్రజల ఆకాంక్షలు…
తెలంగాణ పల్లె సంస్కృతి…
ఆడబిడ్డల ఆత్మగౌరవం ప్రతిబింబిస్తూ…
రూపుదాల్చిన తెలంగాణ తల్లి విగ్రహాలను
ప్రతి జిల్లా కలెక్టరేట్ల ప్రాంగణాల్లో ఆవిష్కరించే పవిత్ర కార్యక్రమాన్ని ఫ్యూచర్ సిటీ వేదిక నుండి వర్చువల్ గా ప్రారంభించాను. #TelanganaThalli… pic.twitter.com/LI2BDAqfRB— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) December 9, 2025
No other chief minister from the INDIA bloc or other states participated, narrowing the summit’s inter-state representation. The sole representative from the Union government was Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, a Hyderabad native, marking a modest central presence.
Even AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is considered Revanth Reddy’s philospher and guide, also did not turn up. Naidu thought conveying his best wishes on X was enough.
Industry turnout was similarly restrained. Despite earlier projections of robust global corporate participation, only a limited number of international industry leaders were present.
Governor Jishnu Dev Varma inaugurated the summit. The roster of attendees offered pockets of prominence, including:
Actor Nagarjuna: Representing the entertainment sector.
Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy: Centre’s only participant.
Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar: The lone senior political leader from outside Telangana.
Telangana IT Minister D Sridhar Babu: Showcasing his state’s investment potential.
Shobana Kamineni (Apollo Hospitals): Providing health sector industry representation.
Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi: Bringing perspectives on child rights and social development.
Karan Adani (MD, Adani Ports): Representing major domestic industry.
Eric Swider (CEO, Trump Media & Technology Group): Contributing an international corporate presence.
Organisers had projected the attendance of 3,000 delegates from 44 countries and leading companies. The actual turnout leaned more toward domestic participants, indicating a gap between expectations and reality.
Scrutiny also followed the summit’s announcement of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). Though officials highlighted commitments worth ₹2.43 lakh crore, there are doubts over the firmness of these agreements and the timelines involved, noting that follow-through on such pledges varies widely, if past experiences are any indication.
A key component of the summit was the introduction of Telangana’s Vision Document–2047 on the second day on 9 December, outlining the government’s long-term developmental objectives.
The vision spans 9 strategic areas, including clean energy transitions, intelligent mobility systems, reducing industrial emissions, agricultural modernisation, increasing forest cover, and urban infrastructure upgrades.
Supporters say the document provides a structured framework for building a technologically advanced and sustainable Telangana. However, the limited participation at the summit has raised questions about the pace and scale at which partnerships and investments can materialise.
Overall, the inaugural day of Telangana Rising Global Summit concluded with results that differed from the state’s initial expectations.
While the Vision 2047 agenda was formally launched, the restrained political and industrial participation has placed greater emphasis on the need for the state government to act vigorously in its follow-up efforts.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
