Dasara row: Yathindra stands by response to Pramoda Devi’s letter, rules out apology

Minister in-charge of Mysuru district Yathindra Siddaramaiah speaking to reporters in Mysuru on Wednesday.

Minister in-charge of Mysuru district Yathindra Siddaramaiah has strongly defended his statement on the ownership of Mysuru palace and ruled out the possibility of apologising for his remarks.

Fielding queries from reporters in Mysuru on Wednesday, Mr. Yathindra said he had not shown any disrespect to the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru, but had only stated that the Mysuru palace belongs to the government as per the Mysore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act 1988.

He said he was only responding to the statement by Pramoda Devi Wadiyar about shifting Jamboo Savari to Rathothsava and raising questions about handing over the golden howdah.

“How can Jamboo Savari be conducted on the day of Rathothsava? For whom is Jamboo Savari conducted?”, he questioned before pointing out that the Jamboo Savari is conducted for the sake of people by keeping the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari in the golden howdah after the erstwhile Maharaja stopped riding in it.

The government conducts Jamboo Savari to uphold the culture and traditions for the sake of the people, he said.

“I spoke on behalf of the people. How can we conduct Jamboo Savari without the Ambari (golden howdah)?”, he asked. He also defended his statement that the government paid for using the Ambari during the Jamboo Savari.

Rejecting the charges that he had shown disrespect to the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru, Mr. Yathindra even expressed his admiration for the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysuru Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, describing him as a champion of social justice for bringing reservation in 1918 itself.

However, he said the Constitution assumed primacy in a democracy, with elected representatives taking their oath of office in its name.

“I have committed no mistake in this matter. I have not made any incorrect remarks about the Ambari or the palace,” he said while ruling out the possibility of apologising over the matter.

When his attention was drawn to BJP leader B.Y. Vijayendra’s criticism in the matter, Mr. Yathindra said the Opposition is only trying to create a row over small issues. “My conscience is clear that I have made no mistake,” he said.

When asked if he would meet Ms. Pramoda Devi Wadiyar to resolve the issue, the Minister said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had stated that he would discuss the matter with them directly and hence there was no need for him to meet them separately.

Reacting to the outcome of the recent elections to four seats of Legislative Council, Mr. Yathindra said the results were not an indicator of the outcome of the coming Assembly elections.

He pointed out that prior to the recent polls, the BJP held three of the four seats while Congress held one. He said the party will introspect on the reasons for its defeat in all the four constituencies.

He also sought to clarify that the outcome of the elections had nothing to do with either the sting operation or the resignation of Siddaramaiah from the post of Chief Minister.