S Suresh Kumar of BJP
Bengaluru: A day after Haj and wakf minister UT Khader said govt plans to hold an Urdu festival on the steps of Vidhana Soudha on Nov 9, BJP legislator and former minister S Suresh Kumar urged chief minister DK Shivakumar to drop the proposal.
Reports said the proposed event will showcase Urdu culture, books, cuisine and various art forms. “The issue is not about Urdu, but govt’s priorities,” he said. Kumar said BJP had no objection to govt promoting Urdu literature and culture, but asked whether similar opportunities would be extended to other linguistic communities.
In a social media post Wednesday, Kumar questioned why Kannada literature and culture had not been given a similar platform. “How many times has Kannada language, literature and culture received such a grand platform under Congress govt?
He alleged the decision could create an impression of an attempt to appease a particular community and said govt platforms funded by taxpayers should not be used for “vote-bank politics”. Kumar asked the govt to clarify whether the programme was intended solely to promote Urdu language and culture and whether similar events would be organised for other linguistic communities.