Mysuru: Mysuru District Minister Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah has defended Chief Minister’s wife performing ‘Pushparchane’ to Goddess Chamundeshwari during Dasara Jumboo Savari inauguration, saying there was nothing wrong with the gesture.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru yesterday, Dr. Yathindra said, the Chief Minister’s wife was merely offering flowers to the Goddess and was not performing any official duty. “Even if it is technically a breach of protocol, it is not wrong,” he said.

On the omission of his photograph from the State Government’s Dasara advertisement, Dr. Yathindra said, the photograph of the District Minister was traditionally not included and that he had verified the practice.

However, this year’s advertisement featured the photograph of the Titular Head of the Mysore Royal Family, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, who is also a BJP MP, prompting some party workers to question why the in-charge Minister’s photograph had been left out, he said.