Senior BJP leaders and a former MLA have raised objections to the Karnataka government’s decision to have Booker Prize-winning author and activist Banu Mushtaq inaugurate this year’s Mysuru Dasara festivities.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said the author should make her belief in the goddess Chamundeshwari public. “I don’t have an objection to anybody. However, Mysuru Dasara is an important religious festival of Karnataka, and we only expect that whoever is called to inaugurate and offer the first prayers make their belief in goddess Chamundeshwari public and clear,” he demanded.
VIDEO | On Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate this year’s Dasara festivities, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya says, “I don’t have an objection to anybody. However, Mysuru Dasara is an important religious festival of Karnataka and we only expect that whoever is called to… pic.twitter.com/xo1YgTmLxc
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Former minister and BJP MLC C T Ravi said it was “inappropriate” for someone whose religious beliefs are “uncertain” to preside over a ritual steeped in Hindu tradition.
BJP Leaders Oppose Govt’s Move
“Dasara begins with offering pooja to Goddess Chamundeshwari. Does she have faith in the deity and follow our traditions?” asked former Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, adding that while he respected Mushtaq for her literary achievements, she should limit her role to cultural events and not a religious inauguration.
Echoing similar sentiments, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, an expelled BJP MLA from Vijayapura, posted on X that while he admired Mushtaq as a writer and activist, her participation in rituals like offering flowers and lighting lamps to Goddess Chamundeshwari could conflict with her religious beliefs.
“Madam should clarify whether she still follows Islam, which emphasises belief in one God and one holy book, or now believes that all paths lead to the same moksha,” Yatnal said, arguing that such clarity was essential before she takes part in the inauguration. He stressed that Mushtaq could preside over cultural or literary segments but not the main religious rituals.
The controversy follows Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s announcement naming Mushtaq as the chief guest for the Nada Habba (state festival), which traditionally begins with a ceremony at Chamundi Hill temple.
