Yaduveer Krishnadatta Vadiyar in conversation with NDTV's TM Veeraraghav and Vasudha Venugopal
- Banu Mushtaq is criticised by BJP for inaugurating Mysuru Dasara, a religious festival
- BJP MP Yaduveer Vadiyar, erstwhile royal, supports Ms Mushtaq but notes the festival's religious nature
- "Do not play with the sentiments of the people of this state," cautioned the BJP MP
Booker Prize-winning author Banu Mushtaq is being cancelled by the BJP. The reason: a Muslim inaugurating the world-famous Mysuru Dasara festivities, which traditionally begin with rituals at the Chamundi Hill temple. However, the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family and Mysuru BJP MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Vadiyar has a nuanced take on the issue.
Mr Vadiyar, unlike his BJP colleagues, acknowledges that Banu Mushtaq is a "very noble personality", and an "apt guest" to inaugurate the Dasara festivities. The point of divergence is where he calls the festival a religious one and hints at inviting people who have the same religious sentiment.
"The state BJP and even me included have expressed our concern on the fact that obviously this is a religious festival first and foremost and you would generally want people who are of the same religious sentiment and who adhere to these religious norms and understand or come from that same Bharatiya Indic perspective and understand to honour these aspects," Mr Vadiyar told NDTV.
The BJP MP acknowledges the "great deal of social good" that Ms Mushtaq has done as an activist.
"She has done a great deal of social good. She has especially worked for the cause of Muslim women in allowing them entry into mosques. She even had a social boycott against her in 2000, has even had to face death threats, etc, in this upliftment of Muslim women that she has endeavored to do all throughout her life. These are all very noble causes and in that viewpoint she is a very apt guest to come here and inaugurate the Dasara festivities," he said.
When asked about the opposition to Banu Mushtaq by his party, Mr Vaiyar said,"I have personally always felt that the Dasara festivities that the state does obviously being under a secular framework cannot have any dharmic significance. The rites and the pujas and the rituals are all done by my family done in a private perspective within the confines of our private household that being the palace at Mysore."
The MP insists that the sentiments of the people should have been taken into account.
"The state of course celebrates the Dasara as a Nada Habba (state festival) but it's like any other state festival it has obviously officially no religious connotation because it's the state conducting it and it has to be of a secular outlook but given the background and given the fact that the state still puts the idol of Chamundeshwari in the Ambari on the last day in Vijayadashami and still adheres to the 10-day festival framework which is purely dharmic and Indian in its outlook. These matters are of course tremendously sentimental and the sentiments of the people of this city and of the state should be also looked into when the state does or takes such decisions," he said.
In 2017, renowned poet and Kannada writer KS Nissar Ahmad inaugurated the festival.
"Well, I think at this point it's obviously hard because it will be an insult to have obviously invited her and then go back on it. The state this government in particular has at many times called personalities who don't particularly adhere to India's dharmic background or have been opposers to it. Nissar Ahmad was there, so was Girish Karnad. Aall of them are personalities who don't necessarily fit the bill when it comes to a purely dharmic ritual or a purely dharmic festival but nonetheless I think the state should definitely consider the sentiments of the people here and I leave it up to the state we have expressed our concern how they take action on this or they react to this is up to them," Mr Vadiyar added.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara underscored that it is a state festival and will invite everyone, cautioning not to bring religion into it.
"In the past, Nissar Ahmad inaugurated festivities in Mysuru. Mirza Ismail was Diwan of Mysuru. Opposing it is not right. This is a state festival. We don't need to bring religion into it. Many think it's a religious event but it's a state festival. Why are you mixing religion into this. Should it be held by excluding one community? Whether she believes in something or not, it's a state festival and we will invite everyone," said G Parameshwara.
The BJP MP urged the state to not play with the "sentiments of the people".
"My message would be to not play you know with the sentiments of the people of this state especially when it comes to the dharmic rights that we have," he said.
