Former Minister and MLC A.H. Vishwanath on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction over the conduct of Dasara festival this year.
Speaking to reporters here, he regretted the absence of people’s representatives in the Dasara Sub-Committees and alleged that the officials were running a “durbar” by dictating terms in the conduct of the festival.
The MLC cited his own example and said though he had been nominated to the Legislative Council from the field of literature, his inputs were not sought for planning Dasara’s poets’ conference or literature conference.
The same programmes that were introduced to Dasara when he was the Minister in-charge of Mysuru district were still continued, he said lamenting that no new Dasara programmes had been added.
Mr. Vishwanath also indirectly took a dig at the alleged demand for commission from the honorarium paid to artistes performing in Dasara. When he was at the helm of affairs in the district, the MLC recalled that artists considered it a privilege to perform in Dasara.
“Big names used to come from Mumbai, Delhi and even Thanjavur. Nobody sought money. They were given air fare and accommodation. While returning, we would pay them a small amount as honorarium,” he said before lamenting that the culture had now been ruined by the alleged demand for share in the honorarium paid to the artists.
Mr. Vishwanath recalled that the State government had conducted Dasara solely from sponsorship in 2003 when the State was reeling under a drought and claimed that ₹ 105 crore government money was saved that year. He said there was no need for the State government to spend ₹ 30 crore this year.
“There is no need for government money. Private companies will happily spend if they are allowed to put up their advertisements at the venues”, he said.
On alliance
Fielding queries from reporters on JD (S) aligning with the BJP, Mr. Vishwanath backed the regional party’s State president C.M. Ibrahim’s stand on the matter.
Contending that Mr. Ibrahim had the powers to suspend persons from the party for anti-party activities, Mr. Vishwanath said the party’s State unit president was empowered to suspend the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy for sacrificing the party’s secular ideals by joining hands with the “communal” BJP.
Further, Mr. Vishwanath said even he would have expelled Mr. Kumaraswamy from the party for six years had he been the party’s State president.
