Mysuru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday accused the BJP of “politicising” Mysuru Dasara, saying the festival is celebrated by people of all communities as a ‘Nada Habba’ (state festival). He said Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq has been invited to inaugurate the event to honour her achievement as an International Booker Prize winner.

“Only a few people are opposing inviting Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate Mysuru Dasara, and not all Hindus are with them,” Siddaramaiah said. “Who did politics in Dasara? They (BJP) will do politics in Dasara, and also in their house. Do they know anything other than lying?” he added, responding to a question on the festival being politicised.

“Banu Mushtaq is a Kannada writer. She is invited to the Dasara inauguration as she is the International Booker Prize winner. How many have got this prize? As a mark of respect to her achievement, she has been invited to inaugurate Dasara,” he said.

BJP leaders and others have objected to the state government’s decision to invite Mushtaq, following an old video in which she reportedly expressed reservations about worshipping the Kannada language as “Goddess Bhuvaneshwari,” stating it was exclusionary to people like her (minorities).

Several BJP leaders have asked Mushtaq to clarify her reverence towards Goddess Chamundeshwari before the inauguration. Mushtaq, however, said her “statement had been distorted, with selective parts of her old speech going viral on social media.”

Dasara is traditionally inaugurated by showering flowers on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru, at the Chamundeshwari temple atop Chamundi Hills amid chanting of Vedic hymns.

Commenting on the controversy after Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said Chamundi Hill and the Goddess there do not belong to Hindus alone, Siddaramaiah said, “I won’t say whether it is the property of Hindus or Muslims. It may be a property of Hindus, but Dasara is a Nada Habba (state festival), which is celebrated by all Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains together. We are celebrating it that way.”

On Shivakumar’s statement, he added, “I don’t know. But this Dasara celebration does not belong to Hindus alone. We are celebrating Mysuru Dasara, Chamundi Hill is not the subject.” The controversy erupted after Shivakumar last week said Chamundi Hill and Goddess Chamundeshwari belonged to every religion and were not the property of Hindus alone, drawing a sharp response from the opposition BJP. Shivakumar made the statement in response to opposition over the government’s invitation to Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate Dasara.