Bengaluru: The Karnataka government’s decision to invite Booker Prize-winning Kannada author Banu Mushtaq as chief guest at this year’s Dasara festivities in Mysuru has sparked a political row, with several BJP leaders strongly opposing the idea of a Muslim individual inaugurating a Hindu festival.
Leaders, like C.T. Ravi and Prathap Simha, and expelled party legislator Basanagouda R. Patil (Yatnal), have voiced their opposition to the Siddaramaiah-led government’s decision, saying that they are not against Mushtaq, but only her offering prayers to a Hindu goddess.
However, Yaduveer Wadiyar, the BJP MP from Mysore and custodian of the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore, has taken a different position. At a press conference Monday, Wadiyar said that he had no objection to Mushtaq inaugurating the festivities since it is a “secular” event. But in a post on X, he wrote that the author has made “certain past remarks” on Goddess Bhuvaneshwari.
“We wish to firmly reiterate that Dasara is not merely a cultural event, but a Hindu Dharmic Utsava – rooted in the Shastra & Puranas and celebrated with grandeur since the days of the Vijayanagara Samrajya and the Mysuru Samsthana. Given this sacred legacy, it is only appropriate that Smt. Mushtaq clarify her reverence towards Tayi Bhuvaneshwari and Tayi Chamundeshwari before consenting to preside as Chief Guest of this year’s Dasara celebrations,” he wrote.
Smt. Bhanu Mushtaq is a distinguished writer in her own right and, as the first Kannada author to win the Booker Prize, she has brought great pride to the Kannada literary fraternity. However, it has come to our notice that she has made certain past remarks regarding Tayi… https://t.co/sOpoAS9vav
— Yaduveer Wadiyar (@yaduveerwadiyar) August 25, 2025
Simha said in a social media post that Mushtaq can be the president of a Kannada literary body, but questioned if it was appropriate for her to be part of a Hindu cultural event.
On Monday, he posted a video clip of a speech by Mushtaq, where she can be heard saying that the Kannada language is equated to a religion in an attempt to exclude minorities like her. He questioned how the writer, “who does not accept Kannada as the goddess of the world”, could perform worship for Goddess Chamundeshwari.
ಕನ್ನಡವನ್ನು ಭುವನೇಶ್ವರಿಯಾಗಿ ಒಪ್ಪದ ಈಕೆ, ತಾಯಿ ಚಾಮುಂಡೇಶ್ವರಿಯನ್ನು ನಾಡದೇವತೆಯಾಗಿ ಒಪ್ಪಿಕೊಂಡು ಪುಷ್ಪಾರ್ಚನೆ ಮಾಡಿಯಾರೆ ಬೂಕರ್ ಭಾನು?
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ಜನ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಸಮ್ಮೇಳನ – ೨೦೨೩ ರಲ್ಲಿ ಬಾನು ಮುಸ್ತಾಕ್ ರವರು ಮಾಡಿದ ಭಾಷಣ. https://t.co/CBrf96yvHl pic.twitter.com/VPrRD9KHQJ— Prathap Simha (@mepratap) August 25, 2025
Yatnal also posted Sunday that offering flowers and lighting the lamp to Goddess Chamundeshwari seems to be in conflict with Mushtaq’s own religious beliefs.
“Madam needs to clarify whether she continues to follow Islam, which emphasises belief in only one God and one holy book, or whether she now believes that all paths ultimately lead to the same moksha..,” he said in a post.
I personally hold respect for Bhanu Mushtaq madam as a writer and activist. However, her inaugurating Dasara by offering flowers and lighting the lamp to Goddess Chamundeshwari seems to be in conflict with her own religious beliefs. Madam needs to clarify whether she continues to…
— Basanagouda R Patil (Yatnal) (@BasanagoudaBJP) August 24, 2025
However, Mushtaq will not be the first non-Hindu individual to inaugurate the event.
The ruling Congress party has said that Dasara is not just a religious event, pointing out that Sir Mirza Ismail, the Diwan of Mysore between 1926-41, had helped organise the festival, and in 2017, Poet Nissar Ahmed had inaugurated the event.
“This is our state, our community’s festival. It has been celebrated as a festival of unity for generations. There is no reason to mix religious considerations or question participation based on background,” Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara told media persons, adding that the festival will remain inclusive.
The chief guest at Mysuru’s Dasara kicks off a 10-day long celebration that begins with
offerings to Goddess Chamundeshwari. Hundreds of thousands of people attend the event every year, with several attractions like Pujas and rituals, and Jumbo Savari.
Mushtaq received the Booker Prize in May this year at a ceremony in London for her story collection Hridaya Deepa (Heart Lamp in English), along with Deepa Bhasthi, who translated her work to English.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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