Filmmaker Kavita Lankesh, sister of the late journalist Gauri Lankesh expressed her disappointment in Siddaramaiah's decision and shared a screenshot on social media of a misogynistic tweet by Vishweshwar Bhat.
Twitter
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah finds himself embroiled in a controversy after reportedly agreeing to release books of Vishweshwar Bhat, a controversial Kannada editor known for his alleged far-right-wing ideology. Various groups and activists have expressed concerns about Vishweshwar's earlier statements, calling him Islamophobic, casteist, and misogynistic. Calls for the Chief Minister to withdraw from the book launch event on July 22 – where he will release three volumes titled Sampadakara Sadhyasamshodhane – have intensified, with the invitation going viral on social media platforms.
Filmmaker and activist Kavita Lankesh, sister of the late journalist Gauri Lankesh, took to social media to express her disappointment in Siddaramaiah's decision. She shared a screenshot of a misogynistic tweet by Vishweshwar Bhat. The tweet made derogatory remarks about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Kavita Lankesh emphasised the implications of Siddaramaiah's participation, stating, "Poisonous Bhat - Having witnessed these two heinous assassinations and being fully aware of the communal mentality the killers and Vishweshwar Bhat share, how right is it to release Bhat books Mr. Siddaramaiah? How right is it to even share a dais with Vish (poisonous) Bhat Mr. CM? Think Think."
pic.twitter.com/0OGrTaEDVx
— KavithaLankesh (@kavithalankesh) July 16, 2023
Citizen activist Vinay Sreenivasa also expressed disappointment with the Chief Minister's decision. Taking to Twitter, Vinay urged Siddaramaiah to reconsider attending the book release event, stating, "Dear Siddaramaiah sir, it is disappointing that you are going as a chief guest for a book release by the hatemonger Vishweshwar Bhat. Please see a sample of his posts in the past." Vinay shared screenshots of Vishweshwar's previous articles and social media posts, highlighting their objectionable content.
Dear @siddaramaiah sir , it is disappointing that you are going as a chief guest for a book release by the hatemonger @VishweshwarBhat . Pls see a sample of his posts in the past.
You are endorsing his Islamophobic, casteist and misogynistic behaviour.
Pls withdraw ASAP sir. pic.twitter.com/gtlE2vw0km
— ವಿನಯ್ ಕೂರಗಾಯಲ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ Vinay K S (@vinaysreeni) July 16, 2023
Actor-turned-activist Prakash Raj also requested the Chief Minister to think again before attending the book launch. He said, “Please think once, this doesn’t augur you well.”
ಸನ್ಮಾನ್ಯ @siddaramaiah ರವರೆ… ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಯೋಚಿಸಿ .. ಇದು ತಮಗೆ ಶೊಭೆಯಲ್ಲ … #justasking pic.twitter.com/LoI9uwfbW6
— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) July 16, 2023
This controversy surrounding Vishweshwar Bhat is not the first. Last year, he faced criticism from various civil society groups for ridiculing the complexion of President Droupadi Murmu in a travelogue piece. These past incidents have further fueled objections to Bhat's upcoming book release.
Twitter users also shared a column written by Bhat on journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was assassinated by right-wing groups in September 2017. The headline of the article, written shortly after her killing, suggested that if she had died of "gundu" (alcohol) instead of a "gundu" (bullet), her death would have received minimal media coverage.
Additionally, Kavitha Lankesh shared a screenshot of Vishweshwar's tweet regarding West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's call for a "manch" (forum) against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Vishweshwar's tweet implied that using the literal translation of "mancha" in Kannada (meaning bed) would result in a misunderstanding.
In another instance, Vishweshwar responded inappropriately to a reader's query about measuring the development of a village. He had said, “When all the women of the village wear bra, then we can say a village is developed.”
Sources in the Chief Minister’s office are said to have been caught unawares by the strong reaction to Siddaramaiah’s presence at the event. It is still not clear whether the CM will attend the event.
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