MYSURU, 2 Sept

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday once again defended the decision to invite International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate this year's Mysuru Dasara, reiterating that the festival is celebrated by everyone, across religions, as 'Nada Habba' (State festival).

“Bhanu Mushtaq is a Muslim. Is applying kumkum/vermillion on the forehead a tradition in Islam? If not, how can one ask her to attend a Hindu religious-cultural event like Dasara only after applying Kumkum/vermillion and turmeric/arshina?” the CM said in Mysuru.

When reporters mentioned that BJP leaders had said they wouldn’t object if Bhanu Mushtaq attended the festival adorned with Kumkum// vermillion and flowers, Siddaramaiah fired back, raising concerns about religious imposition. “If people of other faiths are invited to such celebrations, can you insist they wear symbols which are specific to your religion?” he asked.

Responding to the Opposition BJP’s criticism that she was anti-Kannada, he said, “She is a writer in Kannada. Without affection or love for Kannada can she write in Kannada? She has won the International Booker Prize for her work."

The remarks come amid ongoing tensions between cultural identity, religious freedom, and political posturing in Karnataka’s public discourse.