The dispute over Mysuru Palace administration and Dasara coordination intensified on Monday after district in-charge minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah rejected allegations raised by royal family member Pramoda Devi Wadiyar and said the government would examine the issues she had flagged.
Speaking to journalists, Siddaramaiah said the Palace Board and the palace premises belonged to the government. He said the royal family had only been given a portion of the premises to reside in. The minister also said the government paid for the use of the ambari, or howdah, during the Dasara procession.
His remarks followed a media statement from Pramoda Devi Wadiyar expressing dissatisfaction over what she described as a lack of coordination during this year’s Dasara. Siddaramaiah said that if she had faced difficulties, she could have approached the government directly. He added that government representatives had remained in regular contact with the royal family, but that no concerns had been brought to the government’s notice before the media statement was issued.
Siddaramaiah said the government was willing to send representatives to meet Wadiyar and discuss the problems she had raised. He said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would take action on the matter if required. At the same time, the minister made clear that the government would not accept all of the claims made in the royal family’s statement.
The minister rejected the suggestion that the government could not conduct Dasara for seven days and said it was incorrect to describe the event as not belonging to the government. According to Siddaramaiah, the government-organised Dasara also had a history and the administration would not accept the claim that it was not a legitimate Dasara.
The selection of the elephant carrying the ambari was another point of contention. Siddaramaiah said the government was not legally required to inform the royal family about the identity of the elephant. He said Mahendra had initially been considered, followed by Dhananjaya and then Prashantha, and that the final selection was delayed because of the changes.
The minister also addressed the cancellation of the Jetti Kalaga event, a traditional wrestling contest associated with the Dasara celebrations. He said Pramoda Devi Wadiyar had referred to one explanation in her letter, while the police had provided another. According to the police account cited by Siddaramaiah, the royal family had arrived late and the cancellation was not caused by the government. He said the administration was examining the matter to determine where the error had occurred.
The competing positions place the Mysuru Palace, the royal family’s role and the state government’s control of Dasara at the centre of a public dispute over the administration of a major heritage-linked urban event. Siddaramaiah said the government would continue discussions with the royal family and work to resolve the issues raised, while maintaining that it did not agree with all of their assertions.
