BENGALURU: A foreign tour by Tourism Minister Sa Ra Mahesh and three officials to “attract tourists for Dasara” has come under the scanner, with the opposition BJP describing it as a mockery of the austerity call by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. JD(S) leaders, meanwhile, have defended the move, saying that the tour is to highlight the importance of Dasara, which is a state festival.
Mahesh is accompanied by three officials of the Tourism Department — its director B Ramu, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation managing director Kumar Pushkar and Jungle Lodges and Resorts managing director Vijay Sharma. The team will spend four days in Paris and three days in London, before returning to the state on Wednesday. During their stay in Europe, they will participate in road shows that will depict the heritage of Karnataka and Dasara festival, according to the travel programme of the minister.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, G Madhusudan, former MLC and BJP leader said the trip is a waste of money and energy. “He has decided to travel when the state is facing a fund crunch and Kodagu is just recovering from floods,” he said. Mahesh, who is District in-charge Minister of Kodagu, should have stayed back and set things in order before travelling to Europe, he added.
“Tourists will not come as soon as the minister participates in events in these cities. They plan their tours at least six months in advance. I don’t understand the need for such a trip while Dasara is only a few days away,” he said.
However, JD(S) MLC T A Saravana defended the move of the minister. “He has taken special permission from the Chief Minister to participate in these events before travelling to Europe,” he said.
Kumaraswamy has directed officials and ministers to practice austerity following his budget on June 5, in which he had announced the loan waiver.