‘I am the Culture Minister’: Shivaraj Tangadagi objects after police stop three ministers at Dasara event

Mysuru: A brief confrontation between a senior police officer and three Karnataka ministers marked the lead-up to the inauguration of the Mysuru Dasara Jamboo Savari on Wednesday, after the ministers were reportedly prevented from proceeding towards the ceremony venue.

Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi expressed his displeasure when the officer stopped him and his colleagues, reportedly saying, “I am the Culture Minister,” before moving ahead.

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was heading towards the dais to formally inaugurate the Vijayadashami procession and offer floral tributes to Goddess Chamundeshwari. Tangadagi, Muzrai Minister K.S. Basavanthappa and Agriculture Minister P.M. Narendra Swamy were following the Chief Minister.

According to reports, a senior IPS officer intervened after Shivakumar had proceeded to the venue and asked the three ministers not to move forward, stating that they did not have permission.

Tangadagi reacted by identifying himself as the Kannada and Culture Minister and proceeded past the officer. The officer subsequently stopped Basavanthappa and Narendra Swamy as well.

The situation was resolved after Shivakumar turned around and signalled to the police personnel. The ministers were then able to proceed towards the ceremony venue.

A video capturing the incident has since circulated widely on social media. The episode prompted mixed reactions, with some users making sarcastic remarks about the ministers being stopped despite holding cabinet positions. Others criticised the police officer's conduct and questioned why the ministers had been prevented from attending the official programme.

The incident briefly drew attention away from the elaborate Dasara celebrations, which were attended by senior political leaders and officials.

Following the Jamboo Savari, the Chief Minister and his wife, Usha, offered floral tributes to Goddess Chamundeshwari at the Mysuru Palace premises.

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy also participated in the ceremony, along with Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Tangadagi, royal family representative and Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Wadiyar, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Deputy Commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy and Police Commissioner Seema Latkar.

The incident has become a talking point of this year's Dasara celebrations, with the viral video drawing further public attention to the exchange between the ministers and the police.

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Coovercolly Indresh

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