MYSURU: Mysuru-Kodagu MP and scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar on Friday did a U-turn from his previous statement of welcoming the government’s decision to select International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate Mysuru Dasara festivities this year.
He said, “After seeing her earlier statements about Kannada and Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, I feel our sentiments have been hurt. Unless she clarifies or withdraws those remarks, I cannot support her inaugurating the Dasara.”
He said his opposition is not against his party BJP’s decision. “The party’s stand is my stand. But personally, unless there is a clarification, I am against her inaugurating the Dasara,” he said. He also hit out at Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for his statement that Chamundi Hill is not exclusively a Hindu religious site. “Chamundi Hill has always been a Hindu shrine. How can it be a centre of faith for others? Such statements are absurd and laughable,” he said.
Meanwhile, members of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike marched to the DC’s office on Friday and submitted a memorandum demanding that the government replace Mushtaq with someone else to open the festivities.