BENGALURU, 28 AUG

JD(S) leader and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday said he is not opposed to the Karnataka government's decision to invite International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the world-famous 'Mysuru Dasara-2025' celebrations.

He, however, criticised Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's statement that the Chamundi Hill and Goddess Chamundeshwari were not the exclusive property of Hindus, describing it as "arrogance".

"I'm not opposed to the person (Banu Mushtaq) who has been invited to inaugurate Dasara," Kumaraswamy told reporters here.

To a question on Shivakumar's statement that Chamundi Hill doesn't belong to Hindus alone, he said, "Such arrogance should not be there. Inviting Banu Mushtaq for the inauguration is a different matter, but making such statements on religious matters will cause trouble for the government, and they will have to face it."

The Deputy CM had made the statement while reacting to the opposition to the government's invitation extended to International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the world-famous 'Mysuru Dasara-2025' celebrations this year, atop Chamundi Hills on September 22.

Objections have been raised by BJP leaders and others to the state government's decision to invite Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the Dasara festivities, after an old video of the writer went viral.

In the video, Mushtaq has reportedly expressed reservations about worshipping the Kannada language as "Goddess Bhuvaneshwari" and stated that it was exclusionary to people like her (minorities).

Several BJP leaders, including its state President BY Vijayendra and Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, on Monday asked Mushtaq to clarify her reverence towards Goddess Chamundeshwari before consenting to inaugurate the Dasara.

However, Mushtaq, on her part, has claimed that her statement has been distorted by making selective parts of her old speech go viral.

Regarding the Dharmasthala case, Kumaraswamy said the state government's actions will provoke divine punishment from Lord Manjunatha (the deity of the temple town) in the days ahead.

"This government, in the name of SIT and under the garb of investigation, has conducted itself in a way which has insulted Dharmasthala... several things, including claims about leftist involvement, will be clear in the day ahead," he said.