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Karnataka CM clarifies govt order barring use of chemical colours during Ayudha Puja

By, Bengaluru
Oct 20, 2023 09:12 AM IST

The circular emphasised that preserving the beauty of the heritage buildings was the primary responsibility of every officer and employee

Karnataka chief minister, while clarifying a government order barring the use of chemical-mixed colours during Ayudha Puja rituals, said, on Thursday, that the same was followed by the previous governments as well.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah (PTI)
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah (PTI)

The chief minister’s clarification comes a day after a Government Order, issued on Wednesday, barred the use of chemical dyes like turmeric and kumkum during Ayudha puja rituals within the premises of Vidhana Soudha and Vikas Soudha, in order to uphold the cultural and architectural heritage of buildings. The order received backlash with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) terming the move as an “attack on hindu traditions”.

Responding to the criticism, Siddaramaiah on Thursday said, “This is not a new order that during Ayudha Puja, chemical dyes like turmeric, saffron and other colours have been barred inside offices or corridors in Vidhana Soudha, ​​Vikasa Soudha and multi-storied buildings.”

“Since these are heritage buildings, we have followed the same tradition followed by the previous governments to avoid the damage caused by chemical paints falling on the floor and their stain lasting forever or for a long time,” the chief minister said, while requesting the public to not listen to the unfounded criticisms being made against the government in this regard.

The circular emphasised that preserving the beauty of the heritage buildings was the primary responsibility of every officer and employee. It also encouraged a mindset of voluntary compliance with the provided instructions, and reminded employees to turn off lights before leaving the office.

Criticising the move, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya alleged that Siddaramaiah has been “consistently anti-hindu”. “CM Siddaramaiah govt has been consistently anti-Hindu. He had earlier claimed that he’s afraid of people with kumkum mark on their forehead,” Surya posted on X.

“During his govt’s first tenure, directions were issued to policemen to not wear Vibhuthi-kumkum and women were also barred from wearing earrings and bangles to work - due to them violating colonial-era Police Manual,” he added.

“His govt, in its current avatar, also issued a Muzrai Dept circular stopping all grants for developmental works in temples. It was forced to withdraw the order after similar backlash,” Surya further said.

“In TN [Tamil Nadu], the anti-Hindu stance is similar. One cannot forget Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s eradicate Sanatana Dharma remark, nor the diversion of temple funds for public infrastructure projects in TN forgotten. BJP, on the other hand, provided the highest allocation of funds for Temples in Karnataka,” he said.

BJP spokesperson Prakash S also posted on X, saying, “Do not use turmeric powder, Kumkum and cucumber during Ayudha Pooja in Vidhana Soudha directed by the Karnataka government. Now pooja is also barred inside Vidhana Soudha by the Congress government (sic). Hindu traditions under attack by the regime.”

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