Bengaluru/ Madikeri, 25 Aug

Booker Prize-winning author Banu Mushtaq hit back at people criticising the Karnataka government’s decision to ask her to felicitate the Mysuru Dasara.

“People can say whatever they want. I will speak at the right time and on the right platform,” she said. “Why should I respond to every critic? Those who oppose have their right. But when I speak, I will present my words openly and with conviction.”

Her remarks come after BJP leader Pratap Simha and expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Yatnal asked why a Muslim was inaugurating a Hindu event.

Meanwhile, Home Minister G Parameshwara said Dasara was a national festival and the backlash was wrong.

"It is not right to oppose this,” he said. “This is not a religious issue. Dasara is a national festival."

Similarly, Mysuru-Kodagu BJP MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar extended support to Mushtaq, calling the State government’s decision a “progressive and praiseworthy move.”

Speaking to the media in Virajpet, Yaduveer hailed Mushtaq as not only a renowned writer but also a fearless social activist.

“She has fought bravely for the rights of Muslim women, even facing social boycott for demanding equal access to mosques,” he said. “She has enriched Kannada language and literature with her progressive voice. Choosing such a writer as Dasara inaugurator is commendable.”

The erstwhile Mysuru royal family’s successor dismissed his party compatriot's comments.

“This is a secular nation,” Yaduveer state. “The government’s celebration of Dasara is not a religious ritual. Worship belongs in homes, not public festivals. I see no reason to oppose this decision.”

Earlier, BJP MLC CT Ravi said it is inappropriate for a person whose faith is uncertain to preside over a religious ceremony while Simha said that Mushtaq can preside over a literary event but not Dasara.

Similarly, Yatnal wrote on X that "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."

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recently announced that Mushtaq would inaugurate the Nada Habba Dasara celebrations in Mysuru, which traditionally begin with rituals at the Chamundi Hill temple.