Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 1 : Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) state president TA Narayana Gowda has urged the state government to withdraw its plan to organise an ‘Urdu Habba’ at the steps of Vidhana Soudha on November 9, saying the organisation would oppose the event if it goes ahead at the proposed venue.
In a post on X, Gowda said, “I have noticed media reports stating that the state government has decided to organise an 'Urdu Habba' (Urdu Festival) on the steps of Vidhana Soudha. This is an unwise, immature, and arrogant move—an overstepping attitude that assumes anything goes. It appears as if the government itself is leading the charge to ruin the peace and harmony of society. The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike not only strongly condemns this, but we will also not allow this event to happen under any circumstances."
“The government has plenty of work to do. Let it focus on that. Where did this nonsensical decision to host an Urdu festival on the steps of Vidhana Soudha come from? Who asked for it? To put it clearly, this is a plot to pit Urdu speakers against Kannadigas, and Kannadigas against Urdu speakers. Has the government forgotten the communal riots that occurred in the past over Urdu news broadcasts? Isn't this akin to shooting oneself in the foot?" he remarked.
“After hosting an Urdu festival in front of Vidhana Soudha, they will hold a Hindi festival—a language considered the daughter of Urdu—followed by Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi festivals, ultimately selling Karnataka off to non-Kannadigas," he said.
“Honourable Chief Minister DK Shivakumar must immediately put an end to this foolish Urdu festival gimmick. Otherwise, we will have to teach this government a lesson ourselves. The government should distance itself from those who are plotting to spark communal riots in the state by creating such controversies. We are not against any language, including Urdu. There are plenty of venues in Bengaluru to conduct an Urdu festival. There is no need for Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power of the state. If the state government itself steps forward to destroy the peace and harmony of the region, we will not sit quietly. If the government stubbornly ventures ahead believing whatever it does is right, it will have to face the consequences,” he added. 
The remarks came after Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister UT Khader announced that the state would organise its first-ever ‘Urdu Habba’ at the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha on November 9 as part of Urdu Day celebrations.
Khader said the objective of the festival is to showcase Urdu language, literature, culture, heritage and art forms to people across communities in Karnataka.
The event is expected to feature a book fair, food festival, cultural programmes, an annual award ceremony and a grand Mushaira.
“Urdu is not just a language. It has a vast literary and cultural heritage attached to it. There is a need to introduce Urdu poetry, prose, music and cultural heritage to other communities of the state. An effort will be made to create a collective cultural platform through Urdu Habba,” Khader had said.
The proposed event has also drawn criticism from BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar, who objected to holding the programme at Vidhana Soudha and questioned whether the venue had similarly been used for large-scale programmes related to Kannada language and literature.