'Goddess not Hindu property alone': Shivakumar sparks political storm
What's the story
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has sparked a political row after declaring that Chamundi Hill in Mysuru, home to the Chamundeshwari Temple, is not the property of Hindus alone. "People from every community go there...I myself visit churches, mosques, Jain temples, and gurdwaras. Has anyone ever stopped me?" he asked. Shivakumar was responding to criticism over the government's decision to invite International Booker Prize-winning Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara-2025 celebrations.
Invitation defense
Shivakumar defends Mushtaq's invitation
"Has anyone ever said that only Hindus can visit the Ayodhya Ram temple? Where is such a rule written?" he added. The decision to let Mushtaq open the festivities has been met with opposition from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders. "Mysuru Dasara is an important religious festival of Karnataka, and we only expect that whoever is called to inaugurate and offer the first prayers make their belief in Goddess Chamundeshwari public and clear," party MP Tejasvi Surya said earlier.
Criticism ensues
BJP slams Shivakumar, accuse Congress of targeting Hindu spaces
After Shivakumar said that both Chamundi Hills and the Goddess Chamundeshwari belong to all communities, the BJP once again trained its gun at Shivakumar, accusing him of hurting Hindu sentiments. State BJP president BY Vijayendra warned Shivakumar against "messing with Chamundi Mother," while Leader of Opposition R Ashoka asserted that Chamundi Hill is "pucca" Hindu property.
Royal discontent
Mysuru MP calls comments 'unfortunate'
Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar also joined the chorus of criticism against Shivakumar's remarks. He called the Deputy CM's comments "unfortunate" and stressed that the temple has a history of over a thousand years. Meanwhile, the BJP's Karnataka unit wrote on X, "After Dharmasthala, Congress has set its sights on the abode of the state deity Chamundi Devi! To please the Congress high command, DCM @DKShivakumar has declared that Chamundi Hill does not belong to Hindus."