Urdu festival at Karnataka Assembly sparks row; BJP, Kannada groups protest

A proposal to hold an Urdu festival on the steps of Karnataka Assembly in Bengaluru has triggered a sharp political and cultural controversy, with the BJP and pro-Kannada organisations opposing the proposed venue and the Congress government defending the idea of celebrating the language.

Karnataka Minister UT Khader on Thursday said the government would speak to those objecting to the proposal and was open to reconsidering the venue if the event, planned on Urdu Day on September 9 at Vidhan Soudha, caused problems. He maintained that the idea was aimed at creating greater understanding of language and culture and was not intended to cause any controversy.

"Every language has its own tradition and culture, and they all stand for unity. Our intention is a society filled with trust, a developed Karnataka and a strong India. With this intention, we had planned for it," Khader said.

Explaining the proposal, Khader said the annual Urdu Sahitya award was earlier presented inside a hall and that he had planned to organise the event in a more open setting. Khader said those opposing the proposal may not have understood the language or the purpose behind the event.

"The event was planned for such people and to make them understand, so that the anger and jealousy inside them can be reduced," he said.

The Minister said the government would consult all sides before taking a final decision and stressed that the proposed venue was not a matter of prestige.

"We will speak to everyone. We want good for the state and the country through our programmes. I will never proceed with anything that may cause loss or create problems. We are not adamant on this issue. I have just shared an idea," he said.

Khader also rejected the charges that the Congress government was routinely accused of minority appeasement whenever it introduced such initiatives. "What other agenda do they have? Whatever we do, they claim it is appeasement," he said.

"The idea was to create an opportunity to understand each other's culture and tradition by organising it in an open space. We want to make those who don't know about the language aware of it. I had only spoken about it. Did the event happen?" he asked.

Asked whether he would drop the proposal if there was wider opposition, Khader said there was no question of treating the issue as a prestige matter and that national unity, brotherhood and peace were more important.

Home Minister Priyank Kharge defended the proposal, questioning the BJP's objection to celebrating Urdu and pointing out that the language is recognised by the Constitution and the central government.

"Urdu is a language recognised by the Constitution and central government. Why does BJP have a problem in celebrating a language? What is unconstitutional about it? Has anyone said it is not a language?" Priyank Kharge said.

He also pointed to the presence of words from different Indian languages in everyday usage. "Many common words are derived from Sanskrit, Hindi, and Urdu," he said.

BJP ACCUSES CONGRESS OF 'APPEASEMENT'

The BJP, meanwhile, strongly opposed the proposal, with state president BY Vijayendra accusing the Congress government of following a "divide and rule" policy by proposing an Urdu festival on the steps of Vidhana Soudha.

Speaking in Kolar, Vijayendra criticised the government led by Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and alleged that the proposal was aimed at "appeasing minorities". He said Kannada should be prominently represented at Vidhana Soudha and linked the controversy to the ongoing row over the three-language formula.

Vijayendra said the Congress had accused the Centre of imposing Hindi, but was now "celebrating an Urdu festival in place of Kannada on the steps of Vidhana Soudha" and had "itself revealed its position".

He said welfare schemes should reach every section equally, including Hindus, and said people would respond in the coming elections if the state government continued with what he described as divisive politics instead of focusing on development.

The proposal also drew strong opposition from pro-Kannada organisations like Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, who described it as "foolish, immature and arrogant".

In a post on X, its chief, Narayana Gowda, said the proposal reflected "an attitude of recklessness-an assumption that anything can be done without consequences".

"It appears as though the government itself is taking the lead in damaging social harmony," he added.

Gowda also warned that his organisation "will not allow this programme to take place under any circumstances".

He urged the chief minister to stop what he called "madness", while stressing that his organisation was not opposed to Urdu or other languages.

The proposal has consequently emerged as a political and cultural flashpoint in Karnataka, with the government maintaining that the idea was intended to promote awareness and understanding of Urdu, while the BJP and pro-Kannada organisations have objected to holding the event at Vidhana Soudha.