Mysuru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today strongly defended the selection of noted Kannada writer and International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate this year’s Dasara, asserting that the decision was taken at the Dasara High Power Committee meeting in Bengaluru earlier this month.
Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at Mysore Airport in Mandakalli this morning for a three-day visit, Siddaramaiah maintained that there is no hard and fast rule on who should inaugurate Dasara, as the Nada Habba belongs to everyone, including Hindus, Muslims, Christians and other communities.
“Dasara has been celebrated for over 400 years, even during the rule of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. It was also held when Sir Mirza Ismail was the Dewan of Mysore. Now, Banu Mushtaq has been selected because she is the first Kannada writer to win the prestigious International Booker Prize. Those opposing her selection perhaps do not know the history of Dasara. The BJP does not speak in a secular manner,” he remarked.
On a viral video in which Banu is alleged to have spoken objectionably about Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, Siddaramaiah defended her, saying, “Banu has written many books out of her great love for Kannada. The BJP is only trying to spin narratives against her selection. Dasara’s inauguration is truly a festival for everyone, with all communities involved.”
Taking exception to Opposition Leader R. Ashok’s remark that “someone who eats beef” was being invited to inaugurate Dasara, Siddaramaiah hit back, calling BJP leaders “charlatans and hypocrites whose comments the people should ignore.”
On the Opposition BJP and JD(S) leaders’ padayatra to Dharmasthala, the CM said Dharmadhikari Dr. Veerendra Heggade himself had welcomed the SIT probe into allegations of mass burials of unidentified bodies, insisting that the truth must come out.
“The Government formed the SIT to clear the air and even the BJP had welcomed it. Now, the Opposition is organising rallies only for political reasons and mileage. The BJP has no understanding of Dharma,” he said.
Earlier, the CM, accompanied by Ministers K. Venkatesh and Zameer Ahmed Khan, arrived at the Mysore Airport by a special flight from Bengaluru. He was received by former MLA M.K. Somashekar, City Congress President R. Murthy, District President Dr. B.J. Vijaykumar, Guarantees Implementation Monitoring Authority Vice-Chairperson Dr. Pushpa Amarnath, Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy, City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, SP N. Vishnuvardhan, and other officials.
The CM later proceeded to the Dasara Exhibition Grounds to attend the 80th birthday celebrations of former MLC and film producer Sandesh Nagaraj.
This post was published on August 31, 2025 6:45 pm