Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has now sparked a controversy after inaugurating the Rani Abakka Rath Yatra and Panjina Parade (torchlight procession) organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), in Tiptur, Tumakuru district.
Parameshwara’s presence at the event has stirred controversy within political circles. The Congress leader has often been critical of the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS, accusing them of fostering communal divisions. His decision to inaugurate a programme organised by the ABVP is being viewed as running contrary to his party’s stated positions and as an implicit endorsement of the right-wing student organisation.
This comes after Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar drew attention earlier last month by reciting the RSS anthem in the Assembly.
The Rath Yatra and Panjina Parade were organised by the Tiptur unit of the ABVP, a student organisation affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and had the backing of the BJP. The student organisation’s activities are often viewed as part of the broader political and ideological mobilisation of the RSS–BJP ecosystem.
Rani Abbakka, from coastal Karnataka, is celebrated as one of the earliest freedom fighters in India, recognised for her armed resistance against Portuguese colonisation efforts in the 16th century. The ABVP has long invoked her legacy in its outreach programmes.
