New Delhi: International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq has dismissed the Bharatiya Janata Party's rabble rousing over her role in inaugurating the Mysuru Dasara celebrations atop Chamundi Hill on September 22 by calling the government’s invitation an opportunity to fulfil the vow to the Goddess Chamundeshwari.

Speaking in Hassan to The Hindu, Mushtaq recalled how her friend and fellow writer Meena Mysuru had prayed to Chamundeshwari when her book was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

“That visit didn’t happen then. Now, the government has offered me an opportunity to fulfil the vow by inviting me to inaugurate the Dasara celebrations,” she said.

Rejecting the political noise, she added: “Why should I react to the negativity of a few? People themselves are replying to those comments.”

The invitation, extended as part of the state’s tradition of honouring distinguished Kannadigas, quickly drew loud reactions from BJP leaders who questioned the choice on religious grounds.

According to The Times of India, BJP leaders argued that the government had picked someone “whose faith is uncertain” to preside over one of Karnataka’s most revered cultural and religious events. Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, however, said that there is "no issue or disagreement with inviting Banu Mushtaq for the Dasara festivities."

"However, Dasara is a religious tradition. As long as the inauguration is done without harming this tradition and religious sentiment, we have no problem. If Banu Mushtaq says that she respects Mother Chamundi, our problem is solved," Wadiyar said.

The Hindu report notes that she said that active politicians should have a sense of what not to politicise. “I wish the tribe of Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar grows in the BJP. He has given a clear statement on the issue with no ambiguity,” she said.

The Congress government has strongly defended its decision. Karnataka deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar told NDTV that Chamundi Hill and Dasara “do not belong to Hindus alone” and emphasised the festival’s inclusive character: “All communities, including Muslims, go to the hill to pray. Dasara is celebrated by all sections.” Public works minister Satish Jarkiholi went further, calling the selection “a matter of pride” that a Kannada writer had been chosen to represent the state at its flagship celebration.

For Mushtaq, the row is unnecessary. “I do not belong to any particular caste or religion. The state belongs to all Kannadigas,” she said, underscoring her view that the festival should unite, not divide.

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