BJP hijacks yet another Hindutva plank from INC

Mangaluru: After the recent hijack of the Tiger Dance event from the laps of the Congress on the pretext of 'saving folk culture of Tulunadu', it is the turn of the Udupi BJP unit to hijack yet another Congress event in the form of holding 'Uchila Dasara' in the fisherfolk town by the side of the NH 66. This had been a 'brainwave' of BJP leader Yashpal Suvarna a strong Mogaveera leader in the North of Dakshina Kannada district.

It could be recalled that the tall leader of the Congress party in Dakshina Kannada B Janardhana Poojary had initiated Mangaluru Dasara as early as 1991 centred around the Kudroli Gokarnanatha Temple in Mangaluru which has made it the second best Dasara festivities organised in the state only after the fabled Mysuru Dasara that began over 422 years back in Vijayanagar empire and now is the signature event of the entire Karnataka. Both versions of Dasara have their own variations. While Mysuru Dasara has the patronage of the government and the halo of Royal touch of the erstwhile Wadiyar Royal family, the Mangaluru Dasara is known as 'Common man's Dasara' (refer Hans India report dated 26 September 2022).

Just last week the BJP announced that they will organise a 'Pili Parba'on the lines of 'Pili Nalike' organised by young INC leader and KPCC general secretary Mithun Rai. Now Yashpal Suvarna a tall Mogaveera leader does a redux of Janardhana Poojary to make Uchila Mahalakshmi temple centre of 'Uchila Dasara'for ten days. Preparations are already on for the event. "It will be recorded as the best local Dasara festivity on the coast, and how can it be attributed to political motives I am not able to gauge" Yashpal Suvarna said.

The Mahalakshmi temple is a centre of faith for the fisherfolk (Mogaveeras) not just for the Udupi and Dakshina Kannada but also 'Kuladevata'of Mogaveeras and other marine fisherfolk sub-castes all across the coast. It has a devotee lineup of 7 lakh people.

The Mahalakshmi temple at Uchila is next only to the one in Kolhapur Suvarna informed. Already 50,000 and more people are visiting every day and to my estimation, the attendance might cross 10 lakh people on Vijayadashami day. On that day we have a 27 kilometer long procession participated by over 110 tableaux 30 different folk dancer troupes coming from all over Karnataka, Suvarna said.

The Congress party does not grudge it, though it is aware of the intense movement of the BJP to usurp its support base by using temples and traditional socio-religious practices. Mogaveera leaders at the hustings in a hush-hush tone say the Gokarnatha temple is fully in the grip of the BJP and days are not far when Mahalakshmi temple of Uchila will polarise various Hindu groups particularly Mogaveeras they claim.