Dispute over Muslim author Banu Mushtaq inaugurating Mysuru Dasara

The Karnataka government’s decision to have International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara festivities on September 22 has sparked a political row, with BJP leaders and members of the erstwhile royal family questioning whether a Muslim author should preside over rites that begin with prayers to Goddess Chamundeshwari. The 10‑day state festival will culminate in the grand Vijayadashami procession on October 2.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced Mushtaq’s selection as recognition of her literary achievement after her short story collection Heart Lamp, translated by Deepa Bhasthi, won the International Booker Prize. Government officials and supporters say the invitation honors Kannada literature and the writer’s social work. A senior source in the chief minister’s office said there was nothing improper in inviting Mushtaq and noted a precedent when poet Prof KS Nissar Ahmad, also a Muslim, opened Dasara in 2017.

Opposition leaders said the inauguration involves explicitly religious rituals and argued the chief guest should publicly affirm devotion to the presiding deity. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said he respected Mushtaq’s stature but told reporters he...