Union Minister's call to Booker Prize winner to 'skip' Dussehra inauguration event sparks fresh row

Bengaluru, Aug 25 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour and Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, on Monday, stirred a controversy by appealing to Booker awardee Banu Mushtaq to stay away from inaugurating the historic Dussehra festivities in Karnataka's Mysuru city.

Dussehra is celebrated as festival of the land in Karnataka and the state government has invited Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the festivities.

Speaking to reporters at the BJP headquarters in Bengaluru, Union Minister Karandlaje objected to the Congress-led Karnataka government's decision to invite Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate a Dussehra event.

The Union Minister said, "One who does not believe in the Hindu religion and does not follow the custom of idol worship -- what will they do by attending the Dussehra inauguration?"

"The Congress government is hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus. Author Banu Mushtaq should not go to Chamundi Hills. I assume she will not offer floral tributes to the Goddess Chamundeshwari. I request her to stay away from the programme," she added.

"If she (Banu Mushtaq) believes in Goddess Chamundeshwari, let her make it known. If she does, we will not object to her offering floral tributes," she said.

Displaying a video of Banu Mushtaq, the Union Minister said, "The author Banu Mushtaq does not accept our Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, who is regarded as the goddess of this land. How, then, can she accept Goddess Chamundeshwari? Dussehra is not just a cultural celebration -- it is a religious event. We assume that Banu Mushtaq will not offer floral tributes."

"We appeal to her to stay away. Along with devotees, I will oppose the Congress government's move to have Banu Mushtaq inaugurate the Dussehra event. Let Banu Mushtaq clearly state whether she believes in Goddess Chamundeshwari. If she believes, we will not oppose her participation. Being secular does not mean opposing the Hindu religion. The Congress government in Karnataka should withdraw its decision to have Banu Mushtaq inaugurate the festivities," she insisted.

She also said that while the erstwhile rulers of the Mysuru kingdom, Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali, might have celebrated Dussehra, they had never offered prayers before the Goddess.

"We oppose atheists. When you have no belief, how can you offer floral tributes? People in Karnataka have built temples and worship Goddess Bhuvaneshwari. The state anthem equates Karnataka to a Goddess by saying, 'Jaya he Karnataka Maate' Banu Mushtaq has already insulted Goddess Bhuvaneshwari," the Union Minister added.

She also shared a 2.5-minute video of Banu Mushtaq recorded in 2023, in which she said that the Kannada people had never allowed her or her family to speak the Kannada language by equating the language to a goddess.

Addressing a huge gathering, the Booker-award winner had said, "The Kannada language has been compared to Goddess Bhuvaneshwari. You (the people) created a state flag with yellow and red colours representing turmeric (haldi) and vermillion (sindoor). Where should I stand? What should I look for? How should I be involved? The process of excluding me is not recent -- it started long ago. People need to reflect on this."

She also added, "People are committing excesses against me in this regard, and you are answerable to me. By equating the Kannada language to Goddess Bhuvaneshwari and by pulling the chariot of Kannada, what have you achieved? Is this conspiracy necessary to exclude me?"

However, reacting to the controversy, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said, "We don't look at religion or caste while celebrating the festival of the land. Such a development is not good."

When asked about BJP leaders' claims that the Dasara festivity is a Hindu religious ceremony and not a secular one, he said, "You might consider it a religious event, but this is 'Nada Habba', a festival of the land. It has been celebrated for a long time. Why are you bringing religious matters into this? Will you celebrate the festival by keeping one section of society out?"

When questioned about whether Banu Mushtaq believes in goddess Chamundeshwari, he responded, "It doesn't matter whether she has faith or not. This is a festival of the land, and we will invite everyone."

--IANS

mka/khz