Mysuru, Sept. 22 -- Chief Minister Siddaramaiah this morning delivered a fiery speech at the inauguration of Mysuru Dasara, defending the selection of Banu Mushtaq as the Dasara guest and warning against attempts to politicise the Karnataka's cultural heritage.

Using the evocative Hindi phrase "Ghoda hai, maidan hai" - meaning "the horse is on the field; let's do politics in the electoral arena, not in a place of religion" - he challenged detractors to engage in fair political debate rather than drag Nada Habba into divisive controversies.

Siddaramaiah condemned what he called "low-level politics" surrounding Banu Mushtaq's selection. "Those opposing Banu Mushtaq clearly lack understanding of Dasara and our cultural legacy. Twisting his...