'Mysuru Dasara a secular cultural festival': Siddaramaiah defends invite to Banu Mushtaq

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday defended the decision to invite International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate this year’s Mysuru Dasara, describing the event as a "secular" and "cultural" festival for all communities.

"Dasara is a cultural festival, it is ‘Nada Habba’ (state festival). There is nothing that it should be inaugurated only by people belonging to a certain religion. Nada Habba means a festival for everyone — Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains. This is the festival for everyone," he told reporters here.

"The high-power committee on Dasara had authorised me, and I decided that International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq should inaugurate it. Earlier too, poet K.S. Nissar Ahmed from the Muslim community was invited to inaugurate Dasara," he added.

Calling those opposing the decision "bigots who don’t know history", Siddaramaiah pointed out that the festival had been celebrated under Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan and Diwan Mirza Ismail. "It is a secular festival, so I decided that the International Booker Prize winner should be invited. Some bigots are speaking against it; they need to learn history if they don’t know," he said.

The chief minister argued that the BJP was politicising the issue.

Objections were raised after an old video of Mushtaq went viral, in which she had reportedly expressed reservations about worshipping Kannada as Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, calling it exclusionary to minorities.

BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra and Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar have demanded that Mushtaq clarify her reverence for Goddess Chamundeshwari before inaugurating the festivities.

Mushtaq has stated that her remarks were distorted, with selective portions of her speech being circulated on social media.

When her statement was interpreted as disrespecting Mother Kannada, Siddaramaiah said, "What does that have to do with inviting her to inaugurate Dasara? Will she write in Kannada without respecting Kannada Tayi? Her work Hrudaya Hanate (Heart Lamp) is in which language? Is it possible to write in Kannada without love for the language? All her literary works are in Kannada."

Accusing the BJP of looking for "lame excuses" to oppose, he reiterated: "This is Nada Habba, I’m making it very clear. People from all communities participate in this festival. Inviting Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate it is appropriate."

On the BJP’s question as to why translator Deepa Bhasthi, who shared the International Booker Prize with Mushtaq, was not invited, the CM said: "Two people cannot inaugurate. Let’s look at it later, about honouring her in front of the Mysuru Palace. The government has already honoured both of them with Rs 10 lakh each."

This year’s Dasara celebrations will begin on September 22 and conclude with ‘Vijayadashami’ on October 2.