Kannada hero Vatal Nagaraj on Thursday staged a demonstration in Mysore demanding a full-scale Dussehra procession.
He told reporters that confining Jambu Savari to the palace courtyard amounted to contempt for this festival, which has a historical background.
Since Dussehra was a state festival, the government should set up a high-level committee attracting members of various political parties, apart from litterateurs and artists, to oversee the celebrations. “Unfortunately, this Dussehra has become a “BJP Dussehra”, he said.
Objecting to restricting the Dussehra procession to the palace premises, Kannada Nayak said the government wants only a few dignitaries to see the procession except for the general public. He said that the procession should run its entire route till Bannimantap. Mr Nagaraj also found fault with the government’s decision to invite former Chief Minister SM Krishna to inaugurate the festival atop Chamundi Hills on October 7.
Sri Vatal Nagaraj was accompanied by other Kannada activists including Thayur Vittalamurthy in Sri Jayachamaraja Wadiyar circle (earlier Harding circle), who raised slogans in favor of a full-fledged Dussehra procession.
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