Karnataka Minister U T Khader said the government is open to reconsidering the proposed venue for an Urdu festival at the steps of Vidhana Soudha after the plan drew opposition from the BJP and pro-Kannada organisations. The event is scheduled for November 9, observed as Urdu Day, but the minister said no final decision had been taken and that the views of those opposing the proposal would be sought.
Khader, the state Minister for Waqf and Hajj, said the festival had been planned to give the annual Urdu Sahitya award a more public setting instead of presenting it inside a hall. He said every language had its own tradition and culture and that the programme was intended to promote trust, unity and awareness of Urdu.
“I, as a minister, had planned to organise the event in a better way,” Khader told reporters, according to a report by Deccan Chronicle citing PTI. He said the government would speak to all concerned and would not proceed with anything that could cause loss or create problems.
The minister also said the proposal was only an idea and that the event had not yet taken place. He described the proposed open-space format as an opportunity for people unfamiliar with Urdu to understand the language and its cultural traditions. Asked whether the plan would be dropped if broader opinion opposed it, Khader said it would not be treated as a matter of prestige and that unity, brotherhood and peace were more important.
The controversy places a proposed cultural programme at one of Karnataka’s most prominent government buildings within a wider dispute over how public institutional spaces should represent the state’s linguistic and cultural identity. Vidhana Soudha houses the Karnataka legislature and secretariat, and its steps are regularly associated with major public and political events.
BJP state president B Y Vijayendra alleged that the Congress government was following a “divide and rule” policy by proposing an Urdu festival at the site when Kannada should be prominently represented there. Speaking in Kolar, he accused the government of pursuing minority appeasement, while saying that the BJP was not opposed to minorities and that development benefits should reach every section of society.
Vijayendra also criticised what he described as the government’s position on language policy, referring to the dispute over the three-language formula and allegations that Hindi was being imposed on children. He said the proposed festival showed what he called the government’s position on language representation. He warned that continued focus on divisive politics could influence voters in upcoming elections.
Karnataka Rakshana Vedike chief Narayana Gowda also opposed the proposal. In a post on X, he called the plan “foolish, immature and arrogant” and said the organisation would not allow the programme to take place. He alleged that the event could create tension between Urdu-speaking residents and Kannadigas.
Khader said the government would now consult those who had objected to the proposal. The next decision will determine whether the festival remains planned for the Vidhana Soudha steps, moves to another venue or is not held in the proposed format.